1957-D

[rainscash]

Hi everyone. Thanks for letting me join the forums here. I am a newish coin collector and a member of PCGS. I am not yet a member here at Coneca, but I am seriously thinking about becoming a new member.

My question today pertains to a 1957-D Lincoln Wheat Cent that I found. It has a deep semi-circular cut on the Obverse above the year and Mint Mark. At first I thought someone tried using wire cutters on it and I put it away not thinking anymore about it. Recently I came across it again while organizing my coins. I decided to take a look under the microscope to check out the 'damage' further. That's when I saw the letters that look like a U and an N. It looks like the font from a nickel.

Is it possible for this to have occurred at the Mint? A 1957-D mule?

I look forward to hearing what your opinions are on this. Thank you so much in advance! received_949348816090930.jpeg

[MintErrors]

In my opinion, it would be best to see the entire obverse of the coin, as well as the reverse.
With such a small cross sectional photo, it can be difficult to determine what it is.

[rainscash]

I'll get more photos to post. My images were greater than the 2MB the server allows.

[occnumis2021]

99% gonna be a vise/hammer job.

larger images like MintErrors says, to confirm. front and back please.

[rainscash]

Obverse


20230510_233417.jpg

[rainscash]

Reverse

16837789112945590610564563645398.jpg

[rainscash]

I'm having a hard time figuring out the image uploading, so bear with me. That's why the reverse image is smaller. Trying to get smaller file sizes without losing quality.

[occnumis2021]

I'm having a hard time figuring out the image uploading, so bear with me. That's why the reverse image is smaller. Trying to get smaller file sizes without losing quality.

it is a good enough quality to tell it is pmd. someone was just goofing around with coins.

most of the stuff people think are errors, if they were to be, would actually be pretty good ones, SO, actually finding something like that is tantamount to just about hitting the lottery. gotta be millions to one.

i've seen it happen but out of all the people searching, those that find major errors is miniscule.

nice pics and too bad about the wheatie. looks like a nice lustrous brown example.

[rainscash]

Thank you. I respectfully appreciate your opinion, but I still feel this is something more than PMD. I'll hang on to it, just in case.

[MintErrors]

In my opinion, this was probably a vise or squeeze job. It cuts into the coin that is possibly a rim from another coin.

It goes above the date, across the forehead of Lincoln. When working dies are made, anything that is risen on the coin was incused, or sunk into the die. Where there are no devices, is the flat field of the coin.

This type of scenario would have this line appear on the deepest part of the coin along with a stronger portion of it on the flat field. In order for that to happen to the die, it would probably shatter the working die.

IF it were an incomplete punch, the line would be much thinner.

You the coin owner can take another suspect coin, and lay it so the rim is on that line. It may identify what went on. People do weird stiff to coins all the time, either maliciously with glee to make people scratch their head or they are used as tools. Like spacers, wheels, washers or whatever it was. If coins could tell us a story, we would all be experts on these issues. Unfortunately years to decades of experience will eventually see a lot of these.

A book on the US Mint process and how coins were made prior to 1996 would benefit a lot of people, and they might understand the process a lot better.

[rainscash]

Thank you for your respectable honest opinion. I will simply put it in a flip and set it aside. Moving on to my next coin