 (1969) 1¢. Judd unlisted, Coin World Comprehensive Catalog E.193. Bronze, PE. Choice Brilliant Uncirculated. 47.5 grains. Draped female bust l. with nonsense inscriptions taking the place of mottoes and date of Lincoln Cent. Reverse bears a wreath and 5 line of random letters positioned as on the Wheat Cent reverse. This obverse bears the control letter-numbers I - L flanking the bust. These pieces were struck at the General Motors Tech Center in Warren, Michigan, on an experimental roller press outfitted with 144 obverse and reverse dies. The press was expected to churn out thousands of Cents each hour, but frequent die failure required shutting down the whole mechanism to find and replace dies. Down-time was excessive, but U.S. Mint Director Eva Adams continued to pour vast sums into the cumbersome machine until its failure could no longer be denied. Some pieces left the Tech Center with workers. They are legal to own as products of private industry bearing no official designs.
Ex Westchester Collection (Bowers & Merena Galleries, February 1987, lot 2265).
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