Hey all, I'm curious, I've been reading through thread after thread of people finding errors and double dies all over the place (e.g. in a couple bucks of pocket change, etc.), and I'm curious, how widespread are these things? I've looked through probably six boxes of pennies and haven't found one double yet.. (I've been looking mostly for wheaties, so doubling/errors would be a bonus).. Am I missing something? Just not looking hard enough? Just looking for the obvious doubling and not the very minor stuff? Making n00b errors? Thanks!
Wheaties do have some double dies; the 1917 & the 1955 are two that pop into mind immediately. there are more in the Memorial serices . However, realizwe that the vast number of doubled dies are very minor and you need a 10 X loop to be able to see them. pick up a copy of Cherrypickers, or the Loncoln Guide (I believe Sol Taylor wrote one). They'll show you what some of them look like. Good luck.
you seem to be looking ok, the problem is you CAN'T look in everyones jar, can, sack, or drum that has many coins tied up all over the country. but don't get discouraged because it's still possible to find an elusive error, or key coin or semi-key coin or anything else out of the ordinary and possibly worth nice money! keep looking thru rolls! i don't know if you own a copy of 'the cherrypickers' guide book, but if you don't, i'd get a copy. the book will help you a lot on many coin denominations. hth grizz
Check here: http://www.coppercoins.com/ It seems there's a never-ending supply of error Lincolns. All you need is a microscope and 20 hours a day of free time and you too can find them. It's amazing how many CopperCoins.com has identified, but I doubt many collectors pay that close attention to most of those errors. A nice double die, thats another story. Guy~
How deep into errors do you want to get? I bought 25 count sheets of alleged error cents for 75 cents a sheet ( i can always use the sheets) I did a little research and found that some of the errors were legit......minor as all get out, but legit nonetheless. After 2 -8 hour days of research error lincolns and only gone thru 15 cents, I gave up my error collecting ways lol
I've found errors and varieties by searching hundreds of rolls of Lincoln cents. At least enough to satisfy my curiosity. Never found a wide AM. The problem comes when you try to assign a value to a certain coin. Most of them are not worth much. What you get in rolls and box lots are very worn and circulated, scratched and spotted garbage. Then if you do find one worth 2 or 3 dollars, who's going to want it? It is mostly for amusement anyway. I did find a few RPMs that are keepers. Tried selling one, 1954D repunched mint mark on ebay but all I got was a couple of watchers and no bidders. So I ended up with paying listing fees for nothing. I do better with half dollars.
vwap - just want you to realize that doubled die coins are not errors - they are varieties. That being said, find true doubled die examples in circulation or by searching rolls does not happen very often.
As has already been mentioned, most of the existing doubled dies are more easily visible with magnification. And, if you're just looking for the well-known varieties, they are very, very hard to find in my experience, i.e. I've gone through over 500,000 cents and haven't found any double dies listed in the Red Book except for the 1995. On the other hand, there are many more minor fascinating varieties to be found, and the Cherrypicker's Guide is a good place to get a feel for what's out there.
Thanks for the info everyone. I've got the Cherrypicker's Guide and the Lincoln Guide on order, and am looking forward to learning a bit more about'em!
