
A Wide AM cent from a change machine!
Yesterday I was having a hard time. I had gone to the library with my mom and sister, but while we were there somebody was not nice to me and it left me feeling misunderstood and sad. When I got home, I was still feeling a little melancholy. My dad offered to take me to the bank to get some coin rolls, since I like to look through them to find new coins. I thought going to the bank might help me feel better, so I put on my shoes and climbed into the car to go for a ride. When we go to the bank, I always check the change machine to see if anyone has dropped any coins. Sometimes people bring a handful of coins to turn in at the change machine and sometimes people bring a bucketful of coins to put through it. Whenever people put change in the change machine the change machine sorts and counts the change then it gives the person who had the coins a receipt to get cash from the tellers. Sometimes coins get dropped because people are in a hurry. While looking around the coin machine, I found 64 cents of change that someone had dropped. None of the coins were in the feed slot, but a few were in the coin return, and most of the coins were on the ground. Among the 64 cents there was a 1998 Lincoln cent that I was 90% sure was a wide AM variety. The coin was almost black and caked with dirt. I wasn't quite sure because the coin was so dirty that it was hard to see the details. When we got home from the bank, I looked at the cent more closely and it was a wide AM! Unfortunately, the coin was not in good shape, but it is always fun to find a variety. I felt happy and lucky that I found it!
Wide AM cents were made because mint employees accidentally used a proof style reverse die to strike cents that were circulation quality. The circulation dies have close AMs and the proof dies have wide AMs. They are called wide AM cents because the gap between the A and the M in AMERICA on the reverse of the coin is where you look to find them. Normal cents minted after 1992 have the A and the M in AMERICA almost touching, so if you look closely and find the gap, you will know that you have a wide AM cent. If you haven't found a wide AM cent, keep an eye out! They were minted in 1998, 1999, and 2000 at the Philadelphia Mint. If you keep an eye out for them, they can be found in circulation. I have found two so far.
Comments
Russ
Level 4
Well you definitely got the last laugh! That person being mean to you only led to you finding a treasure. In that persons face, if you ask me.
Kepi
Level 6
Cool find! Good luck with your coin searching! ; )
Mike
Level 7
I agree with Long strider were all equal were all collectors. There is a respect we have for each other. Besides the disclaimer says a thing or two. We should all read it. If we don't the person who does this will loose respect. This is about coins but it builds character.
AC coin$
Level 6
In the items we search we find ourselves. Strive for the best. I am sure you are excellent. Opposition is a challenge. Beautiful coin and blog. Best of luck. Never give up. I have been thru rough waters. Take care.
Mal_ANA_YN
Level 5
Always neat to find a coin with a non-normal intent.
Golfer
Level 5
I should look more closely at my change. With credit cards, change is becoming less frequent though.
Longstrider
Level 6
That is one of my favorite coins to hunt for. Nice find in the machine. Good luck. OK. Misunderstanding.
The Error Collector
Level 4
Longstrider- No disrespect was intended! It sounds like you've found many of them. They're fun to look for once you know what to look for! I'm glad you like them too!
Longstrider
Level 6
Never said they were hard to find. I said I like them. I am going to let this smart arse comment go as you are a kid. If you want people to treat you with respect, try being respectful yourself. My opinion.
The Error Collector
Level 4
They aren't hard to find if you look for them!
Mike
Level 7
Many people don't know about the wide space and the touching letters. There are many of them. I once got a roll of cents with them. Its coin rolling and I like it. Its relaxing and keeps us busy. I like the sites that say These 20 individual cents are worth millions. I write them down and of course I never find them but its fun. Thanks for the blog!!
user_30405
Level 4
Nice find! Still probably worth a few bucks because of the damage, can we see the obverse? It is always nice to find varieties (especially well-known ones) in circulation. Just curious, how many new varieties have you found (I know about the 25c CUD ones you found)
The Error Collector
Level 4
I have found die clashes on the Sally Ride and on the Mankiller quarters, a very strong 1983-P spitting eagle die clash. I have also found Drooling George quarters. I added on an image of the obverse of the WAM.