1979 (D) Lincoln Memorial Cent Capped Die (Obverse)

Description

This 1979 (D) Lincoln Memorial cent was struck by a capped obverse die. A die cap begins when a struck cent sticks to the die face instead of ejecting; subsequent strikes force the trapped coin to flow upward around the die shank until it takes the form of a shallow cap. Coins struck while the cap is in place show the obverse rendered through the intervening metal, producing a soft, spread and progressively indistinct portrait while the reverse strikes normally. Denver struck 1,705,850,000 cents in 1979, all in the 95% copper bronze composition used through mid-1982.