Hi there coin talk folks, I have this 1982 D small date penny I was wondering if it might be a doubled die that I found?
@jayden I agree with Frank, but I feel that I should comment about your photos. It's great that you have at your disposal what I assume is a USB microscope to assist you in your search for errors & varieties. However, what you have to realize is that extreme close-ups of a coin that has become stained, spotted or mottled while in circulation are of little use to us, the viewers. Just saying! ~ Chris
@jayden Notice how the “doubled” area is flat and shelf-like. That’s a key characteristic of machine doubling (also called mechanical or strike doubling). True hub doubling will have a rounded appearance similar to the normal letters. Also, if you look at the O in ONE, it’s thinner than normal. This never happens with true hub doubling. MD is common and is not considered an error nor does it add any value. Sometimes it’s difficult for a new collector to distinguish between MD and hub doubling. I recommend going to Wexler’s www.doubleddie.com and click on the tab called “Worthless Doubling”. It has a good explanation of the cause and how to spot it. While you’re there, take some time to look at the pics of actual doubled dies. It may take some time and study, but the better you become at recognizing worthless doubling the less time you’ll waste on obvious MD coins. Hope this helps
The doubling you see is real but it's very common. It is called mechanical doubling or MD and they are only worth face value.
I must admit, I advocate for Machine Damage over Machine Doubling as I feel it better describes the effect (i.e., cause-and-effect). It elicits a thought much different when I think about how the damage occurred vs how doubled dies are made. Just a thought for the community to consider...
@Kevin Mader . I very politely disagree with you. Machine Doubling means just that: Doubling of the letters, images, etc. Machine Damage can cover a wide range of damage. Scroll down on this site to "strike errors":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mint-made_errors#Strike_errors. Peace.
No worries Thomas. As you can imagine this bugaboo of mine doesn’t have me losing sleep. True enough MD has the appearance of doubling but no actual doubling (hence the misnomer for me). I would also suggest that we agree on much more than we disagree on. Happy New Year! Peace!
