Hey, I bought this 1858 Flying Eagle (small letters) recently and it appears to have strong doubling on the eagle. I can't find the SNO variety. I'm a pretty new collector. I wanted the community's opinion on this coin. Is it a double die variety or is it strike doubling? Either way, the coin is in pretty good conditionn for the price I paid. Thank you in advance for your feedback.
Welcome to CT. It appears to be "Longacre Doubling" to me. This term is used to describe the doubling that is typical on many coins designed by Longacre. This means (most popular version): The master die was placed into the die steel to form the master die. To add details to the die, the engraver would then shave the sides of the punch used to add design elements, leaving a lip on that punch’s sides. The engraver would then conduct an extra hard hit to the punch leaving the shaved sides effects into the die. The effect would eventually wear off as the master die did age, which is why not all coins from a particular working die would have the Longacre’s doubling. If I am wrong, I am sure someone on the forum who has more knowledge will jump in.
I've heard the term Longacre doubling . But never actually saw it in person. Does it add a premium to the coin at all?
