Black Crusty Die Fill

Definition: A substance composed of grease, dirt, metal particles that has harden into crusty material that can and will fill the recesses on the die.

The image below shows this substance adhered to the rim above the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” on a 1960 D small date Lincoln cent. While this examples shows flakes of copper in the material mix, other denominations can  show different metal (s) within that blackened material.

The material shown above is more than likely responsible for the partial 4 digit in the date and the blurred S mintmark shown  on a 1943 S Lincoln cent in the image to the below left. The image to the below right shows a faint 6 digit in the date of a 1960 D small date Lincoln cent and was probably struck through the same material type.

The most famous “struck through a foreign object” occurred in 1922, when the same type material kept filling the recessed area of the mintmark on the working die for that year’s Lincoln cent. This resulted in a no “D” mintmarked Lincoln cent. The Philadelphia mint did not strike small cents during that year. 

Image is courtesy of Heritage Auctions.