Grease-Filled Die (Struck Through Grease)

What it is

Presses run fast and get dirty. A mix of grease, metal dust, and grime can build up and pack into the recessed parts of a die, exactly where the coin's raised design is supposed to form. When a coin is struck, the gunk acts like a filling and blocks the metal from flowing into those recesses, so letters, numbers, or design elements come out weak, mushy, or completely missing. The most famous example is the 1922 'No D' cent, where a grease-filled and heavily worn die at Denver struck cents with no visible mint mark at all.

How to spot it

Look for design elements that are weak or missing while the surrounding area looks normal: a missing mint mark, faded letters in a motto, or a smudged-looking patch where detail should be. The affected area sits at normal surface height and often looks slightly smooth or greasy-textured, not scraped. Compare both sides: wear flattens the highest points evenly across the whole coin, but a grease strike-through kills one specific area while everything around it stays sharp.

What it's worth

Be honest with yourself here: ordinary grease-filled letters add basically nothing, $0-$5. The exceptions are missing mint marks and dramatic missing design elements, which can bring $20-$100+, and the legendary 1922 'No D' cent runs $500-$20,000+ depending on grade and die pairing.

Famous examples

• 1922 'No D' Lincoln Cent
• Missing-clad-motto state quarters struck through grease
• 'IN GOD WE RUST' 2005 Kansas Quarter