Die Cracks vs Doubled Dies

I did a search and found a bunch of threads discussing each, but not one with both in the title. So excuse me if both have been compared and discussed at length in other threads...

Correct me if I am wrong but doubled dies (DDs) seem more desirable overall among the entirety of the collecting world as compared to die cracks (DCs). I'm having a hard time understanding why DCs get so much less love than DDs. They are both generated by defects in the dies and they are plenty of examples where DCs are more rare than DDs. Yet those DCs that are more rare don't sell for as much as DDs.

I understand DDs are errors that were on the die from its inception whereas cracks develop later during the process of minting coins, but that still doesn't explain to me why something more rare is valued for less - in many instances.

 

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Thinking creatively, I might suggest (if your goal is that die cracks should be worth more and regarded more highly in the coin collecting community) getting super rich, hoarding all the die cracks, and then promoting them heavily. Presto Changeo! Die Cracks are the new black...

 

Die cracks are perhaps the most common of all errors, that is why they are usually not worth much. The exception being extreme or well placed die cracks that make a coin much more interesting, as well as die cracks on coins that were struck to very high standards and rarely have significant die cracks (like Meiji era Japanese coins for example).

 

But how much more frequent are die crack occurrences than doubled dies?

Thats probably where a portion of your answer will lie.

Many coins show die cracks, in fact I would assume almost all series will exhibit them at various stages due to the dies cracking being one of the signs to monitor and change the dies as needed.

Now Doubled Dies on the other hand are usually caught pretty quickly and fixed.

 

That's what I was just thinking. Maybe in the future die cracks will be todays doubled dies!! Time to start hoarding buddy!!

 

Ok so that's a no go on the hoarding die cracks and getting super rich in the future.

 

I also like diecracks/breaks better than DDs. If you want to see one killer diecrack with breaks too, take a look at Charmy's Clerkenwell Conder in the FUN Show thread.

 

Die cracks are a common occurrence (over-used dies eventually break), personally, I don't consider them very collectible although I have a few 'interesting' examples.

 

I'm in the die crack camp. I think they make the coin unique. It be interesting if one could collect all the states of a die crck in progression from its beginning to its end. Now that would be a collection to have.

 

And if done up properly would make a nice coin show exhibit and possible award for the effort.

 

I don't disparage anyone from collecting what they like. I always hear that die cracks are more common than varieties, and they probably are, but I've never seen the math. The problem is that everyone who makes this statement looks at die cracks as generic, whereas varieties are treated as specific occurrences. Keep in mind that my experience is primarily with the Lincoln Cent, but if one were to use the term "variety" as a generic term and say that, "Varieties are a common occurrence" it could be argued that the statement is true. When most people think of varieties, they think of the big ones: the 1955 DDO, 1969S DDO, et al. When one considers the category of all varieties, they become rather common indeed. Think of the vast number of minor RPMs, the vast number of class 9 doubled dies, and even in the early sixties, the large numbers of class 2 DDRs. In the 1950s, both die cracks and varieties were fairly common. In the 1960s I would say that with the preponderance of varieties for the early '60s that varieties were more common. In the 1970s both were rather scarce. In the 1980s die cracks ruled the day. In the 1990s we began to see more equal numbers, and in the 2000s I would say that class 9 varieties ruled the day. One also has to consider that the number of coins struck by a doubled die will show the variety throughout the life of the die, whereas die cracks tend to develop in the mid to late die stages and therefore it could be argued that on average only about 1/2 to 1/4 of the coins struck by a given die(which develops a die crack) will show a crack. It's an interesting question that never really gets fair treatment.

And for the record, this is all said by someone who collects varieties. I still respect my fellow numismatists who collect die breaks and cracks.

 

I save all die cracks, which leads to die breaks, which lead to cud errors,some die breaks, with die cracks, can be pretty cool looking, heres one I posted not to long ago https://www.cointalk.com/threads/nice-die-break-1984-lincoln-cent-caused-extras.257863/#post-2058107

 

Also, a lot of die cracks, are used for " Markers " on DDOs & DDRs

 

I am also of the opinion that minor errors such as die cracks, breaks, and chips are a wonderful learning tool for the novice collector, especially cents. When I first started collecting at age 12 there was not much out there as reading material goes, that I could afford. But I saved up and purchased Frank Spadone's book on errors and I was hooked for life, especially on cents. Even though he was chastised by the numismatic big whigs, he probably got a lot of us started on collecting error coins. When he died his family was left with a ton of books that were basically unsellable because those who thought they were experts ran him out on a rail. Such a shame. His book gave me much to think about and search for. To this day I save every minor I come across and bundle them in packages to sell online, using the funds to buy the coins I want and to upgrade my collection. They are great learning tools for coin clubs and very sellable at flea markets, as I have found. Just a humble opinion from a humble collector.

 

For all the dies (hundreds or thousands for moderns) of a given date/mint combination maybe a half dozen or so will be doubled dies, most of them minor, and many of those will have a short run before the are recognized and removed from service. On the other hand the dies will normally be used untill they become too worn out or crack and probably 25% or more of the dies will develop cracks before they are retired.

 

Die cracks, chips, scratches, gouges are all used for markers and also helps to sort the better varieties or the hay from the chaff so to speak. This has been extremely helpful given how many doubled dies came with the 2009 cents.

 

found a nice, 1988-D Roosevelt DDR today, I'll be taking images tomorrow of it, heres a sneak preview, ms-condition to

 

Most dies that feature varieties live long, full lives, with a few exceptions. The mint is not going to pull a die because of a split serif or a doubled column. They didn't pull the 1995 DDO001. Even most of the dies that produced the varieties found in the Cherry Picker's Guide lived full lives, lasting well into late die stages.

 

I think die cracks can add character to a coin. I also think some DDO/DDR's are cool. I don't search for them or purposely collect them. I'd like to get a nice 1955 DDO Lincoln cent, but I don't want to pay a large premium for it, which means I'll likely never own one!

I like the die cracks on this large cent: