This is a detail of a Liberia 1862 cent. At first glance, the doubling in REPUBLIC looks like a DDO, but the lettering in this case is incuse--it's easier to see on the star and "OF". Therefore, the lettering on the die is raised, so when die chatters on a strike, doubling will be impressed into the coin as seen here. --that's my interpretation of what I'm seeing below. However, if doubling was transferred from a master die to a hub, it could look similar to what we're seeing below--which is more likely? Granted, it's a bit of a mind-bender, but when a hub (with incuse letters) leaves a doubled impression on the die, the legends don't get doubled as one might expect, but squeezed or narrowed, because the high-points of the hub--the raised rim as would be the case below--flatten out raised portions of the legend on the die.
But they're not; it's an optical illusion. Drop over to eBay and have a look at this issue. It probably helps to see the whole obverse on the coin in question.
Pretty cool coin! I just read a catalog definition. Amazing how lighting can play tricks on your eyes.
Same with the homestead and other quarters that have incuse lettering...thus, Machine Doubling on those share many similar characteristics one might see on a "normal" doubled die. Great explanation and post.
It is often really difficult to tell incuse from raised in pictures, especially since our minds are trained to interpret coin devices as raised. As for the OP's coin - I would think that strike doubling would behave similarly on an incuse coin as it does on a raised coin - the image should be shelf like, and appear like a "ghost" secondary image. Your coin exhibits fully notched serifs, and considerable separation in many places. I am not familiar with this series, so I can't be sure - but I really don't think that is strike doubling. It may be re-engraving, or it may be a genuine doubled die.
http://www.error-ref.com/incused-machine-doubling/ http://www.numismaticnews.net/article/error-catches-eye Here's 2 links that I hope will help. Imagine it this way...an incuse feature on a coin is represented by a raised feature on a die. It's essentially the same principle as a die becoming doubled through multiple impressions from the hub, just replace "die" with "coin" and "hub" with "die".
Well, that is very interesting, @non_cents . I admit, I am completely unfamiliar with machine doubling on incuse elements - but those links are very educational. Really cool, thanks!
Exactly...imagine a hardened hub where the legends are raised, bouncing off a soft die blank and creating doubling--that's essentially what you're seeing on the coin, except with a die and a planchet.
Glad to help out! It's definitely more interesting than "regular" MD. I've seen it posted every so often in the error forum with someone confusing it for a true doubled die.
While I can appreciate your analogy, that is extremely far from what actually happens: When the die strikes the coin, it happens very quickly at a very high pressure. There is a bouncing action that may happen which may produce strike doubling (for a more detailed description, I'll point you to Roger Burdette's exemplary book, "From Mine to Mint.") When a die is created, it is impressed by a hub much more slowly, at much lower pressures. The first impression causes "work hardening" of the die. The die is then softened, and the hub is applied a second time. However, the mechanical stresses in the die may cause a small amount of distortion during this process. The hub and die are aligned by notches in each, but if the mechanical stresses have caused some distortion between the first and second hubbing, then the second hubbing will be shifted slightly. This is the cause of a hub-doubled die. There is no "bouncing" of the hub, because it is a slow process - the die is not "struck" from the hub.
You're right--the dies aren't loosely chattering on the coin, as if we're talking about hammered coins. I was just trying to make it easy for me to visualize...using a die blunder as an example.
