Image Gallery
Below are some higher resolution images of Unicorn Pennies taken from the author's research notes.
UP1 Reverse
UP2 Reverse
UP7 Reverse
UP8 Reverse
Reference image of altered 1930 penny
The micro-welding traces are normally masked by a layer of dirt to simulate ageing. The dirt has been partially brushed away in this coin.
UP2 Reverse
The date numerals appear to be clearly struck without mirco-welding traces and with no masking dirt, supporting the conclusion that UP2 is not an altered date coin.
UP2 Reverse
No mirco-welding traces are visible and the surface around the date numerals is flat and undisturbed.
UP2 Reverse
The leftmost '1' appears to have been struck with some irregularities (particularly left side of the base) suggesting that it was hand-cut from another die to create an experimental punch.
UP2 Reverse
The rightmost '1' appears to have been struck with some irregularities (particularly the base) suggesting that it was hand-cut from another die to create an experimental punch.
Reference image of die fault in UP2 Reverse
The die fault inside the void of the '9' is clearly visible.
Below are microscopic images of UP2 (under both natural and UV light), showing that the date numerals are fused with the body of the coin. No evidence of micro-welding or glueing is found.
Some strains of the 1929 penny (left) feature die markers that are also found in UP2 (right). This confirms a link between the 1929 penny and UP2 (as well as possible links to other Unicorn Pennies). It is proposed that the link arises from a common hub (see Further Research page).
Further microscopic analysis of UP2 provides a deep angle analysis of the date numerals under high magnification (see images below). The images show that the date numerals are completely fused with the body of the coin.
A deep angle image taken with a 1000x magnification from beneath the leftmost numeral '1' reveals a tiny ridge along its base. The ridge is likely to be a remnant of the numeral transplantation process (see Further Research page), suggesting that certain numerals in the date of the Unicorn Pennies were manually pressed using a hand punch.
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