I am new to coin collecting and was wondering if double die coins, especially the lincoln pennies, can be spotted with the human eye alone, or if you need a special magnifine glass or microscope. Also in general when viewing and collecting coins as hobby, what is the best method for studying them. the eye alone, magnifine glass, microscope?
I use a magnifying glass to examine all my coins but the best way I spot "problems" is when I take a close-up photo. Quite often I don't see "problems" until then but sometimes I catch them with just the magnifying glass. :kewl: Ribbit
spotting.............................. .....welcome to the forums. here is some info to help you tell the difference between a doubled die coin from a machine doubled coin. machine doubling is very common and doesn't bring the premium that a true doubled die coin would bring. hope this helps. http://www.geocities.com/NCADD/educational1.html
Gammaman, Welcome ! If you are referring to say a roll of cents from the bank, I just quickly look at each and once in a long while, the brain says hmmmm something is different here. Then I go to the magnifying devices. Toad is correct, high resolution photos really aids the process. I often post a photo and then wonder how I missed that mark. When one gets more familiar with a specific type of coin, it becomes much easier. Nice seeing you on the forum. Jim
If you've got old eyes like me, except for the '55 DDO and maybe the '72 DDO, you need a magnifier to see doubling. Something in the 5x range. Easier to use than a 10x. Less eye strain. Only use the 10x if the apparent doubling is minor and you need to decide. BTW, the correct term is Doubled Die.
(PUP) Check out these Websites: Hello Gammaman, Only a couple of the major doubled die cents can be seen by my naked eye. As Desertgem indicated, once in a great while, one coin might look a little different to the naked eye. If you are not familiar with several of the doubled die coins, then perhaps you could take all your looking glasses & review several doubled die coins at a coin shop or coin show. This will show you first hand what you will be looking for in the field. Also, studying a list of known doubled dies may help you learn the pick up points (PUP). Check out these Websites: http://www.lincolncentresource.com/ www.coppercoins.com, http://www.varietyvista.com/1988PRDV0061 cent.htm http://www.collectorscorner.org/pocket.html#Pennies I have to agree with kanga that a 3x or 5x is useful when scanning through a large number of coins. Once you have semi-isolated a doubled die coin, then you will probably want to inspect it with a loop. One of the best ways to enjoy viewing a doubled die coin is with a binocular microscope. Just a couple weeks ago, I personally scanned several thousand cents under a binocular microscope. Unfortunately, I found no doubled die coins. I did find some BU Bahamas cents for my world coin collection and some interesting cents with planchet issues. Very best regards, collect89
