1932 Lincoln Wheat Cent - STT 001

Description

Documenting a major grease strike-through on the reverse of a 1932 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, STT 001 records a dramatic production error where approximately 75% of the left wheat stalk failed to strike up due to grease accumulation blocking the die cavity. Strike-throughs occur when foreign material — most commonly grease, oil, or metallic debris — sits on the die face or fills the incuse design cavities before a planchet is struck. The material prevents the planchet metal from flowing into the blocked cavities, leaving those areas flat or weakly impressed on the finished coin. In this case, the grease blocked nearly the entire left wheat stalk while the right stalk struck up fully, creating a visually striking asymmetry that immediately draws the eye. A small portion of the letter U was also affected by the grease obstruction. Strike-through errors are classified as planchet/striking errors rather than die varieties, since they result from foreign material present during a single striking event rather than a permanent die characteristic. The extensive coverage of this particular strike-through — affecting three-quarters of a major design element — elevates it above the subtle grease-filled examples commonly encountered, making STT 001 a specimen-quality example of the strike-through error mechanism.