Hello all! I have a "new" coin, and while certainly not the prettiest, it's proving to be by far the most interesting right now. By now I'm quite familiar with MD, doubled dies, clashes, etc...this coin seems to be doubled and, in places, tripled pretty obviously. On the Obverse: bowtie, VDB, eye, lips, forehead, ear, etc..., and on the Reverse: FG, USA, motto, columns, and possibly lincoln's statue. I can find no listing for this variety anywhere. I believe the Denver mint began using the single-squeeze hubbing process in '96, but I think that early in '96 some coins were still made using the old method. If that's the case, which could have produced these type of results? Being still somewhat new to this, I'd love to hear opinions/suggestions for this coin to help me figure out what in the world I have. Below are some of my favorite photos from the Obverse - there are many more. I'll follow this with some of the best points on the Reverse, and I'll be glad to add additional pics if needed. Thank you so much in advance!
There aren't any DDO's listed for the 96D as far as I'm aware of, much less a DDO/DDR. Can't really tell what's going on with you coin given the quality of your pics, sorry.
1996 d ddo Hey; There are listings for the 1996 D DDO #1, & #,2...as well as listings for 1996 D DDR #1 & #2 in CONECA's Master List. The pictures you've posted appear to typify the dreaded old, "flat, shelf-like" effect attributed to Mechanical Doubling, and a distressing absence of split serifs. Once doubling is apparent I generally go directly into a hunt for "split serifs", followed by, hopefully, a patient die mark search As a rule, regardless of the extremity of the apparent doubling, no seperation of serifs equals no DDO / DDR. John Wexler's site; "doubleddie.com" has the clearest, -in my opinion- information available on identifying the differences; but always keep in mind, pictures are only as honest as the given light allows. Nothing is more commonly available on these sites than snap judgements made on far too little evidence; everthing you need to know to determine what you've found is right at your fingertips. Good hunting.
Just to correct a point... Class VI doubled dies can be present without notching, as they are seen as "extra thickness" doubled dies. I think the OP is simply over-analyzing the coin.
All I can say is my eyes are really hurting after looking at your photos. You do need better quality photos to be able to attribute this cent. Larry Nienaber
