Why the price difference between '98, '99 and 2000 Wide AM?

[eagames]

Good point Coop!

Often people say "wish I had an example of a wide AM"

They do!!! look at the reverse of a 1992 cent! If it isn't wide your rich

[coppercoins]

Robert - It is believed by a majority of those who studied this small subject that new dies are made for both the obverse and reverse each year. There has been but one single example that I know of where a single reverse die bridged two different years and can be proven by markers.

Given that, the answer to your question is somewhat simple...yet the reason for the answer is as mysterious as why they were made in the first place. The answer is that it is likely there is only one die that produced all the wide AM cents for 1999, and there are likely dozens for the two years surrounding 1999. Why there is only one for 1999 and dozens for both 1998 and 2000--a complete mystery that will likely never be solved.

Why are there only a dozen bronze 1943 cents? Same general question, different subject, but the same answer...nobody knows.

Are there more 1999 wide AM dies out there that nobody has found? Are there examples of other dies already in slabs that experts just haven't seen and cataloged? Would this change the fact that examples are very scarce?

Answers...first, not very likely, but possible. Second, also not likely, but possible. Third, probably not.

[Robert]

Thanks Chuck (and everyone else).

That's the core of my original question... why only the one (!) 1999 die. It doesn't seem likely that the Mint would change its die production process before and after 1999.



If there's only one die, then all the 99 wide AMs must have the same die diagnostics. Correct?

[shanegalang]

"On wide AMs the reverse dies were made with the hub with the design for proofs (but the dies were not prepped as proofs) with a gap between A-M and different FG location. "

Someone put this in the thread here on these post. Where is the "FG" location different? I have a 98 Wide AM and have compared it to other cents and the FG appears to be in the same spot. Am I misunderstanding something? Thanks, Shane

[coppercoins]

There is more space between the lower right memorial base and the initials on the wide AM design. The difference is only really noticeable under magnification.

[eagames]

Shane,

You might look here:

http://koinpro.tripod.com/Articles/_Ty-2_Reverse_Cent_Varieties.htm

Notice the wide AMs have the FG closer to the building but the close AM has the FG not as close to the buildings corner.

There are some close AM (normal 98, 99, 2000) cents that have a slight gap between AM but are not realy the wide AM type. It needs to also have the close FG to be a wide AM.

[CP]

I have found one of each 98 & 2000 dates.. Still no '99 to complete the set.. Where was the biggest percentage of the 99's minted?
In searching for the wide AM varieties, I had wondered if there was a '92 close AM variety.! I always look for them, but have never found one, atleast now I know they do exsist..

[gription]

[coppercoins]

[coop]

Here is a possibility: Maybe one of the reverse dies from 1998 was used on the 1999 Cents? That is why only one die was made?

[coppercoins]

Nobody knows that there was only one die for 1999. That's just all that has been found.

Doesn't really matter much how it came to be, it's there.