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NEW HUBS with lower relief were introduced late in 1982 for the
Lincoln Cent, the same year the U.S. Mint struck cents of two different compositions. The higher relief designs, also called the Large Date designs, above left, exhibit numerals in the date large enough to fill almost the entire field between the lapel on Lincoln's suit and the coin's rim. The numerals on the lower relief, Small Date version, right, are significantly smaller and appear to float in the field rather than fill it. The best way to tell whether the cent you have was struck on a brass planchet or copper-plated zinc planchet is to weigh it.
http://www.coinworld.com/news/061906/BW_0619.aspEscalating production costs today for the
Lincoln Cent based on rising metals prices presents the U.S. Mint with the same dilemma that faced the nation's coin producer in the late 1970s and early 1980s - whether to change the coin's composition to bring the costs down.
For 1982 Lincoln cents, the Mint did just that. The year 1982 developed into a challenging one for the U.S. Mint amid increased acquisition costs for copper. Not only did the Mint implement a major compositional change during the year, the Mint also instituted hub changes that collectors generally classify as Small Date and Large Date. The composition and hub changes combined to create seven distinct subtypes for the
Lincoln Cent for circulation, more than in any other year for the series.
Interested collectors can still find examples of each subtype in circulation at face value. A complete set of Uncirculated coins can be obtained in the numismatic marketplace for less than $10. For a few dollars more, one can obtain the lone Proof 1982-S
Lincoln Cent, made of brass and of the Large Date subtype.
The composition of the
Lincoln Cent was changed from a brass alloy of 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc to a planchet of 99.2 percent zinc and 0.8 percent copper plated with pure copper (giving the new coin a total composition of 97.2 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper. The brass alloy had been implemented in 1962.
Collectors should be on the lookout for four copper-plated zinc coins - the 1982 Large Date, 1982 Small Date, 1982-D Large Date and 1982-D Small Date. The brass varieties for circulation are the 1982 Large Date and 1982 Small Date cents and the 1982-D Large Date cent.
Why change?
Cost was the primary motivating factor in changing the composition of the cent during 1982. The key objective, however, was to substitute the composition change without any outward appearance that might trigger hoarding.
The price of copper on the open market had been fluctuating for some time when it spiked precipitously from 93 cents per pound in December 1979 to $1.43 a pound in February 1980 before it fell back to less than 90 cents per pound in May 1980.
At that time, Mint calculations suggested that the cost to produce a 1-cent coin would be greater than its face value once the price of copper rose above $1.12 per pound. Consideration was given within the government to introducing a copper-plated zinc cent, although health concerns existed over the use of zinc should any of the coins be ingested. That same health concern, said to be unwarranted, still is raised from time to time. The secretary of the Treasury was already empowered by Congress to alter the ratios of copper and zinc in the
Lincoln Cent without further legislative approval. The authority had been granted during the testing in 1973 and 1974 of alternative compositions, then too fueled by higher copper prices.
Among the compositions tested then were aluminum and bronze-clad steel, both of which were produced as metallurgical trial pieces with standard cent dies.
In 1981, U.S. Treasurer Angela M. Buchanan, who had direct authority over the Mint, ordered the amount of copper in the cent to be reduced from 95 percent to 2.5 percent - the new core being made of 99.2 percent zinc and 0.8 percent copper, with an outside plating of pure copper.
Mint officials estimated that $25 million would be saved annually because of the reduction in the amount of copper used in each cent. Skeptics worried about the public's reaction to the introduction of the new cent composition, but its implementation and execution went off without much fanfare. Production of the first 1982 Lincoln copper-plated zinc cents began in December 1981 to allow the U.S. Mint time to help build up sufficient quantities of the coins for widespread circulation distribution. The Mint production facilities at Philadelphia, Denver and West Point, N.Y., all struck 1982 Lincoln cents, although the lack of a Mint mark on the Philadelphia and West Point pieces make which facility struck a particular piece impossible to identify.
The new copper-plated zinc cents were first released in the Chicago area early in 1982. The next releases came along the East Coast and in the Mid-Atlantic, before spreading westward.
Although the copper-plated zinc cent weighs less than the 1864 to 1982 bronze and brass cents, the coins were virtually indistinguishable to the eye because of the outer coating of pure copper. During the year, 1982 Lincoln cents in both compositions were struck and released into circulation.
After the new cents were placed into circulation, some government officials raised the possibility of hoarding. This did not occur, in part because the Treasury introduced the copper-plated zinc cents in stages to help ease the transition.
Hub changes
A change in composition was not the only change for the
Lincoln Cent in 1982. New hubs were introduced late in the year that resulted in slight design differences. The combination of compositional differences and different hubs resulted in seven different 1982 Lincoln cents struck for circulation and available to collectors today - three struck at the Denver Mint and four at the Philadelphia Mint or West Point.
U.S. Mint officials in recent decades have often preferred to wait until a new calendar year's coinage is introduced before making hub or metal changes because Mint officials fear hoarding if several varieties or subtypes are produced during a single calendar year. Officials fear collectors and speculators may hoard the coins for a number of reasons, including the value of the metal in the coin if over the denomination's face value, or perhaps perceived numismatic rarity.
The Mint in 1982 didn't wait with the designs changes, however. Modifications were made to the 1982
Lincoln Cent obverse design in September of that year, resulting in two distinctively different reliefs being used during one calendar year. The 1982 Lincoln, High Relief cent, more commonly called the Large Date cent, was struck from December 1981 through much of 1982. The 1982 Lincoln, Low Relief cent, also known as the Small Date cent, was used first in September 1982. The relief was lowered to extend die life from 700,000 strikes per die to about 1.5 million strikes per die. While lowering the relief had the effect of extending die life, the changes were made also based on the examination of struck pieces, to lessen the possibility of high relief dies damaging the copper-plated zinc planchets.
Collectors have identified seven different combinations of Mint mark/lack of Mint mark, level of relief and composition.
The only possible combination supposedly not produced is the 1982-D Lincoln, Small Date brass cent. Mint officials deny any were ever struck. David Lange in his book The Complete Guide to Lincoln Cents writes that it is possible that a few could have been struck on brass planchets left over after the lower relief dies were introduced but none have ever been identified.
Telling them apart
Identifying which 1982 cent you have in your hand will be easy as far as relief or date size, but knowing whether you have a brass cent or a copper-plated zinc cent will take more investigation.
The differences between the Large Date and Small Date are obvious when examples are placed side by side. The 1982 or 1982-D Lincoln, Large Date cent features digits in the date that are large enough to fill almost the entire field between Lincoln's lapel and the coin's rim. The digits on the Small Date are significantly smaller than those on the Large Date variety and appear to float in the field, rather than fill it.
Several ways of identifying the metal composition varieties have been suggested, but the best way, according to Sol Taylor, author of The Standard Guide to the
Lincoln Cent, is to weigh them.
"As for the [copper-plated] zinc versus brass, there are several easy ways to tell," Taylor writes. "The brass cent weighs 3.1 grams and the zinc cent weighs 2.5 grams. The zinc cent has a dull ring as compared with the brass cent when dropped on a smooth hard surface. The zinc cent has a paler color than the brass cent. But the best test is the weight test."
Posted 06/08/2006 2:18 pm
