Hello all I recently sorted all of my pennies into separate baggies and. Going thru the 1995 baggie and think I found a ddo. Notice the notches on the D in God and the O. Also the W and E. I just couldn't get good lighting on the word liberty. I know the photos aren't the best but I'm a barber not a photographer lol still working on that also I use a 10x b and l Hastings triplet and a 14x Hastings do you recommend using a microscope for doubled dies and omms because I don't see perfect seperation and/or notches for doubled dies? Or is a 10x Hastings and 14x Hastings good enough? I just don't know what to look for with a loupe because it's not like the up close photos on eBay as in I can't see anything but notches on the letters if that's what I'm even seeing... Thank-you so much I'm going crazy trying to understand doubled dies so please telle if the letters of In God We Trust are doubled or machine doubled and try to helpe you understand what to look for with my loupe or a good microscope. Thanks again
For all but, perhaps, the most minor and insignificant varieties, 10x should more than suffice. This isn't to say you can't go higher, but just that it's not necessary. You also should understand that the stronger the glass, the worse the coin will generally look; even the most pristine coin can look like utter crap with high enough magnification, and if you're going to use the loupe for general grading, 10x is far too much. Opinions differ - some prefer the naked eye while others a tad more powerful than is necessary, but generally speaking a 3x is preferable. As for your coin, I don't see anything, but the photos, even when enlarged, are rather small, especially on a phone screen, so take as you will. As for learning about doubled dies, there are many websites that would benefit you, but for starters try... http://doubleddie.com/ As you'll see, this one site alone contains a huge amount of information, so please understand this isn't something that you can invest a couple hours into and walk away "knowledgeable". Take your time to digest what you read, and if confused or have additional questions, don't be afraid to simply ask the board. Good luck to you.
Not all doubled dies are created equal. Although notching is a sign to look for on many, many recent doubled dies do not show this feature. The 2009 Lincoln Cents are a good example of this with hundreds of possible variations but no notching. On these there are other markers to look for, like die gouges, die cracks, die chips, etc. The State and ATB quarters are another case for this as they, also, do not show notching. Many of the new Shield Cents appear as blobish at the date or have slashed numerals. Notching can help in identifying RPM's ( re-punched mint marks ).
Ahh very true sir sort of like the homestead quarter and the snowy windows. I myself am looking at 1995 and previous cents. What should I look for on those doubled dies with a 10x or 14x loupe
Then what you're interested in are "classic" doubled dies (the proper term escapes me at the moment) as opposed to the newer "single squeeze" Tommy mentioned. In addition, because he mentioned RPMs, it may interest you to know that post 1989 (on cents) they're impossible as this was the final year they were hand-punched into the dies. As for what to look for, spend some quality time at the site I earlier recommend. Go into the "doubled die listings" area and study the provided detailed photos and descriptions; this will help you get a better grasp on exactly what to look for, but also do check out the "worthless doubling" page for examples of what not to. Unfortunately, this isn't quite as easy as saying "look for this"...
OK thank-you a bunch and when I look down at my coin will it jump out at me quickly and easy with my loupe? Ive looked at 100000 pennies and I start to think I see things but maybe doubled dies are such that when you have a ddo or DDR you will know you have one instantly
