1990 Lincoln Cent

[Coindog]

This is one of my newest and I think most unique penny error finds. It's a strike through obverse with a DDR and a die crack across the I in UNITED. The doubled die is between the right two columns variety but occurs on both columns. A lot going on with this coin.

[CoinHunter]

Wow! Amazing find! I definitely agree that it is a strike-through and that it had a die crack, but unfortunately, I am pretty sured that the reverse just has machine doubling.

[Coindog]

Coinhunter, Thanks for your response. I was recently at PAN and a former ICG grader confirmed the column doubling. He actually showed me one of his slabed examples but, he told me I needed to have it attributed for that year. If one looks at the distorted figure of Lincoln, one can see the remnant of the variety vista 1990 DDR-001 marker. I agree that the reverse edge text is MD. I also think there's a second reverse die crack across the left from the roof line to the steps but not certain.

[jcuve]

Is the coin flat? I am not sure I agree about a struck through. I would have to see it in person.
I am also not sure about a DDR either

[Coindog]

Jason, I'm not sure about the DDR either, but it's what I see in the loop that raised the possibility.
As for it being perfectly flat, what ever the hammer die struck through left a slightly deformed impression on the reverse and the two die cracks on the reverse lead me to believe that it cracked the anvil die in the process.
I'll leave you with this quote from Fred Weinberg, "If a thicker, strong, object was struck thru either die, the other side -might- show a flattening area on the opposite side, but not the object itself. (Cited from: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/do-...a-coin.362607/)

[jcuve]

Try emailing Fred. I do not see how anything on the obverse that was substantial enough to impact the reverses could have any of the struck devices in its path. In other words, RTY and the neck should not be visible in the supposed struck through - it should be deformed, but devoid of any of the design. Those parts of the obverse die should not have made contact with the coin during striking. If the material struck through a coin is thin, it will can have aspects of the design, but not details. This is why I think it is damage and not an error.

[Coindog]

I completely understand what you're saying. I've had this coin for quite a while and looked at it from many different viewpoints. My dilemma always came back to two undisputed details. If the depression was made outside the minting process, One, the R and shoulder would not appear intact or as an unbroken device detail in the microscope. Also to create this strike through, outside of minting it would take a solid flat instrument, a lot of force and it would have flattened the device details on both sides without retaining the contours of those devices. The second detail goes to the question of its validity and how it might have occurred. It's the die distorted details that exist on the reverse of the struck through portion which is accompanied by the two die cracks, left across the I, and right center of strike through vertically. If made outside the minting process, the distorted die details would not exist or have been totally flattened and would show up in my microscope as such.
I have another hypothesis. What if it's not a strike through but a freak occurence where a small oval portion of the die metal separated horizontally within the hot die face and during the strike, the force created two severe die breaks to the anvil die allowing the coin to deform slightly in and down.
The fact that the R, and his shoulder show no damaging impact impression along with the reverse details, says real but I don't know how it occurred or what to really call it.
Sorry this was so long. Thanks for giving me more to think about.