I was reading in Numismatic News (12/7/04) about the discovery of Double Dies of 2004-P Lincolns. Looking at the pictures which were probably blown up 30X, I am not impressed. These are not double die varieties as you would have seen in 1995, 1972, and the grand daddy of them all, 1955. These are double dies that are only seen under a scope! If you can't see it with a naked eye or under 3X magnification, should it be a variety? Still, the article stated that these 2004 Lincoln varieties have fetched between $275 to $450 with one circulated specimen selling for $898 on eBay...are you kidding me? Is it me or are some of these varieties just too "whacked"? I am sure if you look at enough coins under 20-30 or 50 power, you may find a whole slew of varieties...so the question arises...What constitutes a true double die variety versus one that is only visible under a scope?
I have a couple bank rolls of 2004 P Lincolns sitting on my desk. Should I sell them on Ebay and hype them up as unsearched with a possible $450 coin inside?
Mint errors are so few and far between now that any small thing will cause a big stir. I decided in 1999 that I would build an error collection of the WV quarter (2005) Looks like it may be out of reach now and/or would only contain minor errors.
It's really quite simple - collecting error coins has at last become popular. And popular means demand and demand means high prices. Error collectors want errors - and since the mint did what they did to stop errors being produced - error collectors now look for different kinds of errors just to satisfy their desires. In other words - if ya can't find the old kind - then we'll find new kinds Add a little hype and some stories in the coin rags - and presto ! RARE VALUABLE ERROR COINS !!
Here is one I found a few years back after the 2004-P was found. Same doubling on the EPU, but this coin is a Denver minted one. A second example has been found after two years of searching. See what you think?
