Lincoln Cent, 1972, Foldover Strike, 1¢, MS64 BN

Lincoln Cent, 1972-1¢, MS64, BN, Foldover Strike.

A foldover strike occurs when a planchet stands upright on its edge instead of lying flat in the striking chamber. As the dies descend, the blank is driven downward, causing it to bend, fold, and wrap around itself before taking the strike. The resulting piece shows heavily distorted metal flow, dramatic folding, and severely displaced design elements, often with part of the coin’s surface wrapped back over its own edge.

It is one of the most visually dramatic and mechanically complex striking errors produced at the mint.