Lincoln Cent, 1971-D, Foldover Strike, 1¢, MS63 RB, NGC

Lincoln Cent, 1971-D, 1¢, MS63, RB, Foldover Strike, NGC.

Before striking, this planchet failed to feed flat into the coining chamber. Instead, one end folded over onto itself, creating a doubled-over “tab” of metal. When the dies came down, the coin was struck in this distorted state, impressing design elements onto multiple surfaces and leaving the unmistakable split, layered look characteristic of a true foldover strike.

Foldovers are far less common than simple clips or off-center strikes because they require a very specific mishap in the planchet feeding process.