Hi. I went out and bought a few boxes of pennies this weekend to officially kick off my new coin-collecting hobby; since it was my first time, I didn't really expect to find a whole lot in the way of error pennies but did a little research beforehand to know what to look out for. At this point, I'm still pretty skeptical of my ability (or lack thereof) to properly identify error pennies. But my untrained eye can't see any reason to doubt my find, so I'm hoping some of you more experienced collectors can enlighten me! I've included pictures of the coin, doubling is most obvious on the A, M, E and R of America. Looking forward to your feedback!
Thanks for the reply! How would one go about telling that this particular penny was machine doubling opposed to true doubled-die? Here are some close-ups if that helps:
Try this thread for some good info... https://www.cointalk.com/threads/machine-doubling-vs-a-true-double-die.50286/ (especially this one, IMHO: http://www.doubleddie.com/144822.html)
And one more for good measure: EDIT: Thanks for confirmation, Collecting Nut and Dougmeister! I'll take a look at the threads you suggested for further reference. The penny in question was a 1992-D, so I didn't really expect to have found a new variety but thought it wouldn't hurt to ask.
I'm going to have to differ on this one. I've found a number of doubled dies, and believe he may have one. The other alternative is severe die deterioration doubling, but nowhere do I see machine doubling on this coin. Look at the M in America. Very clear doubled image of the M North of the primary letter, like a class 7 DDR if I remember right. A better photo of that area would help to clench the deal.
I see split plate doubling. and MD. I do see something interesting in bays 10, and 11. Will you take another pic straight down on the East side of the memorial building showing the last two bays? It's probably nothing but I would need a pic centered there to tell for sure.
I will try and get your requested photos ASAP. Will need to acquire a loupe, probably. In the meantime, I noticed that the E Pluribus Unum is strongly doubled as well so here's a blurry one:
Too often when folks see "doubled letters" or "doubled devices" they believe that they are seeing a doubled die since they are only responding to what they are seeing. Having and understanding of the mechanics behind the minting of coins will give a better understanding of what constitutes true "die" doubling from common "machine" or "Ejection" doubling. The way that was explained to my simple little atrophied brain was to remember the "potato stamps" that we made in Art Closs where we'd slice a potato in half and then carve a design of sorts onto the exposed face? We then take and dip the potato into poster paint and then transfer our design to paper. A clean stamp would produce a clean design transfer. Press too hard and the potato would be smushed into the paper creating a squashed looking design. Fail to lift the potato evenly from the paper's surface and doubling of the design might occur. Lift one side before the other and the transferred design changes. Press to light and the design might not transfer completely. Machine doubling occurs when either the press becomes loose and/or the die has not completely cleared the freshly minted coin as it is being ejected. Die erosion doubling occurs when the "sharp" edges of the devices in the die become "rounded" which creates the "ghosting" of devices the look like they are doubled. Combine ejection doubling with an eroded die and things start to get real interesting! It is all really, really simple once you get past the point of believing that everybody here is full of crap and actually knows what they are talking about (with a few exceptions)
I was looking at the two vertical bars in the bays on the right. You don't need a loupe. The first two pics were big enough. Just move it to the left.
Thanks for the input, 19Lyds! Your explanation does help clarify the concepts. I am not arguing against it being machine doubling or die deterioration -- you guys definitely know better than me. I'm only posting further pics because they were requested and it seems like a good opportunity to learn what things catch experienced collector's eyes and then how to rule out possibilities until arriving at the correct conclusion. Even if that is that it's just a damaged, face-value penny; after all, that's what the vast majority of what I'll be looking at will be, right? So it's a good thing to be able to recognize them for what they are! Attached a couple more pictures that were requested using a loupe, and am working on that east bay photo for you tomfiggy. EDIT: Added one photo.
Correct me if i am wrong, but doesn't a true doubled die tend to have doubling in the same direction. For instance, the A in this coin seems doubled to the west, the M to the north, and the E to the south? Regardless, I do like the way that coin looks, and it's something i would hold on to even if it doesn't have a premium.
Thanks for the help everyone! Very enlightening. Just to quiz myself on what I learned, I examined a few coins to see if I could find another example of mechanical doubling to make sure I get it. The doubling at the top of this shield would also be MD, correct?
