Is this a doubled die or...

[donna]

I have so many error coin's that Im am so unsure about.. I was looking at some of them today..wondering..
I thought these two really look like they are the real thing/not strike dd's I mean ... but then Im really bad at knowing the difference.
Would you all please take a look and tell me what you think.. Thank You
first coin
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r108/cncky/171.jpg

second coin
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r108/cncky/1971.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r108/cncky/1871.jpg

[diamond]

A doubled die would not involved the mintmark. You're probably thinking of a repunched mintmark (RPM). The top and middle specimens look like classic machine doubling (strike doubling). The bottom specimen looks like it may be affected by die damage. This also seems to be the case with the middle specimen.

[wavysteps]

Hi Donna - The first mint mark, as Mike pointed out, is machine damaged doubling. The second mint mark has a combination of circulation damage (seen on the top of the S), machine damage doubling (seen on the upper loops of the S) and I believe a minor re-punched mint mark, indicated by the split lower serif. The circulation damage to the top of the S may be hiding an upper serif split which would be further indications of a RPM.

BJ Neff

[donna]

ok.. I pretty much figured they weren't worth much, but I had to hope.. the top one is a 71 S and the second one is a 69 S the 71 I pretty much thought was strike doubling, but man this 69 looks like the real thing to me. The way the numbers and mint mark even some of the letters look. That don't look like strike doubling to me, but.. Im not very good with doubled dies, I have trouble telling the difference. So, is there a chance the 69 might be a true doubled die? here are a few more photo's.
oh if it isn't a real doubled die, what is it? the way it's doubled/marked is upon the numbers, not flat.. right? that is how you tell the difference? I have went and got so many books, and read so much trying to learn, but seems something just soaking in, because no matter how much I try, I just can't seem to understand about doubled dies.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r108/cncky/2171.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r108/cncky/2071.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r108/cncky/2171.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r108/cncky/2071.jpg
Thanks for your time.. donna

[donna]

Sorry Mr Diamond, I re-read what you wrote.. *A doubled die would not involved the mintmark* So I guess it can't be a doubled die. well shoot:o and I so wished it was..



BJ Neff.. split lower serif now see, that I really don't understand, by that do you mean where it cut's deep on the coin? or does that mean where is comes up off the edge of the coin. That's one of the main things I have never understood. Can you please tell me just what split serif means..in words I'll understand.. Thank You BJ..donna

So neither of these coins are worth anything? or one is and one isn't..

[diamond]

Sorry, but the S-mintmark in your 1969-S cent does show strike doubling. Strike doubling is incredibly common in San Francisco cents from 1968 through the early 1970s.

[diamond]

BJ Neff.. split lower serif now see, that I really don't understand, by that do you mean where it cut's deep on the coin? or does that mean where is comes up off the edge of the coin. That's one of the main things I have never understood. Can you please tell me just what split serif means..in words I'll understand.. Thank You BJ..donna

So neither of these coins are worth anything? or one is and one isn't..

The "cuts" represent modest development of the classic marginal shelving seen in strike doubling. It's caused by a lateral shift of the hammer die immediately after imact.

A "serif" is the extension at the tip of a letter. Just compare the "sans serif" font on your computer with most other fonts, which do have serifs. This font I'm using now has no serifs. This font does. Notice the extensions pointing down from the bars of the "T". Those are the serifs. A minor doubled die will show notches or splits in the serifs.

None of your coins are worth more than a cent, I'm afraid.

[wavysteps]

Just one more bit of information. There is one series of doubled dies that does affect the mint mark and they ocurred in 1995 on the Lincoln cent from the Denver mint. Some of those doubled dies do extend into the mint mark, however, they are not RPMs but actually a doubled die on that "D".

BJ Neff

[foundinrolls]

Just be reminded that the D being doubled on the 1995 D cent is because the D is on the hub before the dies are made.

Earlier issues had the mintmarks punched in by hand. So the dies would be doubled before the mintmark was added to the die. That's why the date would be doubled and the mintmark is not.