Hello everyone. this is my first post as I'm a new member, just joined today. I came across a 1956D wheat penny and couldn't help but notice some oddities around the date. I really don't know what to call it. In the attached image i pointed out what i noticed. I would greatly appreciate some input on it. Thank you for your time
Welcome to Coin Talk. My first thought is a lamination type error, the small discolored spot makes me think so. Hopefully more well versed members will reply. Here is a helpful link.http://www.error-ref.com/part-v-planchet-errors/
First, welcome to the neighborhood! I believe what you see is die deterioration doubling. It's common on coins struck from worn dies. Chris
In my opinion, it's not any of the above. What you see are some type of stain on the coin, and it's an optical illusion that makes it look like a doubled digit. See the other 'stain's of the exact same color that are around the date/mm area. It's just a co-incidence.
"Cleaning" coins is usually considered a real no-no. A valuable coin can be ruined easily. For your coin, you could try soaking it in water a few hours and patting it dry with a soft cloth. I think all you have is a stained coin. If you did have a lamination, it would be worth $0.50-$1.00
