My First Wide A M!

Okay I'll go pull my inventory and post pics. These are truly fun to collect. I think less than 50 folks I know of actually pulled theirs from circulation. Most ones I have were from dealers who pulled theirs from bags while searching. I have only ever pulled ONE out of circulation. Lots were found in the midwest, some in North and South Carolina. Mainly these were located in Illinois finds. Never heard of a D Wide AM, and when one is found, it'll be steep.

There are some die crack issues over the top right of the memorial. There is a progressing die crack over the left memorial which eventualizes into a full-on die fill. Three of the die fills known. The Cheerios Wide AM's are quality, but little reported. Looks like junior went to the bubble gum machine.

I don't put much stock into many being in Cheerios.
As far as the speed of the presses is concerned:
The 1999 Wide AM, to produce only fifty, would be run for approximately one second with the new presses.
Starting thought. Then consider there are four die pairs: leaving one to wonder. Did the pressman actually strike these one at a time? I have often thought: if these were one at a time, then the operator would be potentially on an older press. A manual press, off to the side, normally used for other issues. Or a press not used for some time: maybe a press from the first strikes in the early 1900's. Say, THE ACTUAL press used on 1909 strikes. That's what I arrived at when considering how to slow the process enough to press these one at a time, changing the die pairs after ten or so, which is exactly what happened on the 1999 strikes. Had to be a slow motion process. Like the old days.
I count less than a thousand year 2000 WAM, more like 500 or so. The 1998 falls somewhere in between.
Eventual price levels on these is catching up to where I see it landing. That price is greater than the 1922 price range.
I see these prices as less than the 1988 RDV, though. One day those are going to be 1916-D Mercury dime Gem BU prices. Five and six figure prices. The 1992 Near AM will forge ahead of all of these issues. Only the wealthy will own those.
I am a collector since 1972.

Congrats - and thanks Legend for your insights on these. I've found 5 this year, three 2000 and two 1998. I had no idea there were varieties......more to learn!

Yep, folks, the Wide AM's-all of them-are really tough. Considering that everyone needs one of each for a holder, prices are going to skyrocket. I have been saying this since 2004, but right now is when folks are getting it. Less than 100 1999 Wide AM Cents. Read it again.
Less than 100. It is startling. In the early years after the first discovery, I would ask individual sellers if they had rolls. I have spent over five thousand dollars buying completed rolls, right out of bags, One seller would not budge under 600, and I bought it too. That was four years ago. I see some MS 67 on ebay from time to time. 67 may be the best there are, you should be on a 67 on ebay like white on rice. And the 1999's for 700 bucks, those will be several thousand, and not too far off. Once this country rebounds, and more collectors can afford sets, the Wide AM's are going to dry up. Consider that people hoarded Gem BU 1909 S VDB's, and there were four hundred THOUSAND of those. They sell for 5,000 dollars for a true 66 example. Not some slider, but a dead-on 66.
I am just waiting to see the prices rise. I have considered selling sets of the four major reverse die pairs. Pretty to see. My wife loses patience with my selling-or lack of it. I have one item on ebay. That's it. It's not a WAM.