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August 26, 2026Early vs. Late Die State: Evaluating the Strike on a 2000 Lincoln Cent Broadstruck Out of Collar (PCGS MS-63 RD)
August 26, 2026
Every coin was money before it was a collectible. That’s the easiest thing to forget once a piece settles into a slab. So let’s talk purchasing power — what the humble cent actually bought in its day, and, just as important, what the dollars we spend on coins today would have meant to the working hands that once jingled cents on the walk home from the mill.
I was reminded of this recently while following a collector’s anxious forum post about a winning lot from a Sunday-night online auction: a Mint Error 2000 Lincoln Cent, Broadstruck Out of Collar, certified PCGS MS-63 RD, hammered down for roughly sixty dollars. Days later, the package tracking still sat frozen at “USPS Awaiting Item — Shipping Label Created” in Irvine
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