1974 "Large Date" and "Small Date" Varie

[Art]

I was reading a few Numismatists that a friend had given me. In the April 2003 issue, David Lange has a story about the "Transitional Cents of 1974". He discusses an early and late die hub situation that produced six varieties of cents for that year. 1974 P, D & S for each. All proofs were struck with from the first hub. (There's a good comparator, if you have a 74 proof cent).

According to the article, the earlier hub was higher relief, not by much, and the Lincoln figure was slightly larger and sharper. There is a difference of date placement with the earlier hub's date being closer to the rim - not an easy diagnostic without a reference set or pictures.

According to Lange, the first hub was only used for the first part of 1974 and then discontinued and not used ever again. Should make for an interesting (valuable?) collectable in years to come. Sorry I don't have a website that discusses this or provides photos -- check the Numismatist.

I had never heard of this before. Perhaps it's old news to our Lincoln experts. I say, "Let the hunt begin".

[coppercoins]

I'm not sure exactly who discovered these, but they have been known since 1981. In 1998 I sent a message to Ken Potter asking about them and he forwarded the original article he had written about them, thus educating me. Over the following year to two years I sold sets for $1 on eBay and they went over well. The purpose of running them was more for education than for profit. I believe I sold around 60 sets altogether.

The large and small date 1974 cents are distributed in approximately equal numbers as it seems, none of them are particularly difficult to find. That coupled with the fact that they are rather difficult to detect for a novice made them wane in value - no real premium value for any of them, and difficult to spot. I can help with that, though...

The motto (IN GOD WE TRUST) is much closer to the rim on the large date than on the small date.

The top of the "4" in the date is wider on the large date than on the small date.

The large date "9" has a rounded inside end and the small date has a squared-off inside end.

The top right corner of the "7" in the date is rounded and flat on the large date and is sharp and raised on the small date.

There are other differences, some of them significant, but most are not going to be apparent unless you have one of each to compare.

For a free - FREE - example of each date type, send me an e-mail with your address - no expiration on this offer.

cd@coppercoins.com

[Art]

Chuck,

Thanks for the added info and sample offer. My email's on the way.

So it appears that about half of the circulation cents were made from each hub. The article stated that all of the proofs were from the first hub. So I guess there's no real hidden treasure here. BUT! Here's a chance for me to find a nice variety to start off my Lincoln cent varieties collection.

[gription]

i've got 5 bankwrapped rolls of P's, 6 rolls of D's, and 9 S's............ should i crack them open..?

i'm seeing mentions of '74 varieties all over this forum.... and what exactly would i look for? is it worth it?

[Bob P]

There are plenty of all the variations of the 1974 cent out there. Primarily known as small and large dates due to the thickness of the numbers/letters, there is no premiums associated with them as far as I know. As far as cracking open your rolls, that's entirely up to you.

[coop]

Something I noticed on the reverse of the 1974 Large Dates was the details on the statue is different. One has a very weak detail Statue and the other one has a double line on the base under the statue.

[pennyhound]

Nice one there "COOP" ... love this board because most every time I read on it ... I learn something different, which is (after all) the whole purpose of it.

Thanks for sharing this.