Anything weird?

Gabe · Senior Member

Hi guys,

Just wondering, what do you guys think about this coin? Does it look like it has been cleaned or whizped (sp?)?

smed · Senior Member

I don't see anything wrong with it. However (comma) I haven't seen very many early UNC lincolns.

Robert · Senior Member

My un-expert questions/comments:

1. Is that a flat spot on Abe's cheek?
2. Is the color we're seeing (yellowish) the true color of the coin? That doesn't look right. Too brassy.
3. The uniform shine on the coin doesn't look right. The field should (to me) look different than the devices.

My gut tells me something's been done to it.

Any other comments?

coop · Expert Member

Gabe: Coin does look a bit unusual in color but image colors can be changed. On the coin I bought off Ebay the fields look rough.
Chuck first thought that the dies were sandblasted. Later he looked again and thought the coin didn't look right. But I still like it and that is what counts. If the coin is a steal price I might go for it, but if it is a premium price I would pass. It depends what you are looking for. A nice hole filler or a super nice coin. The point that sold me on my coin was the detail in the beard.

Nice die state when this coin was struck. In the older Lincoln I LOVE the way the rim looks on them. The wider rim, the greater detail compared to the 60's coins. The 1980's coins are a joke and the new spagetti haired coins..... PLEASE.......
Hope this helps.

coppercoins · Site Admin

Judging from the texture in the fields I do not believe this coin to be whizzed or cleaned. Having said that, there's at least some chance that the coin has been dipped, which will not disturb the texture of the fields but will change its color and dull it somewhat. By the photo alone, that's what I think could have happened to this coin, but it would take looking at it in person to tell for sure. Photos can do odd things to otherwise nice coins.

As for its detail, it is a nice specimen for the year, but most early P mint Lincolns have sharp detail, much more than that of later years. This is one of the reasons why many people have trouble distinguishing these from satin proofs, which your coin is definitely not.

It's a nice one. If you got it for the right price and you are happy with it, I would say you got a deal.

GarryN · Expert Member

Dipped or not, I would be happy to have that coin. I have a 1909 VDB that has the same surface texture, but darker red color.

How can you determine it is not a proof?

coppercoins · Site Admin

How can you determine it is not a proof?

Much easier to do it holding the actual coin, but with some experience one can tell from photos.

1. The date isn't sharp enough. It's actually a little thinner on the proofs.

2. Believe it or not the details aren't sharp enough.

3. The rim is too rounded.

4. No early satin proof I have ever seen shows the flow lines this coin has. In the photo they are most noticeable on the left half of the design.

5. The fields on a satin proof will not have the bowl-like appearance of the business strike coins. Proofs are somewhat flatter, and do not reflect light the same way.