In 1934, the U.S. Mint just couldn’t get the design right with three types in the Philadelphia facility, plus a doubled die, and two types at the Denver facility.
Collectors look at the obverse motto, “In God We Trust,” making these observations in the summary guide below:
1934 Light Motto
The motto is mushy and barely legible. Values range from $47 in MS60 to $275 in MS65.
1934 Medium Motto
The motto is distinct, but the lettering is a bit too thin, raising questions about wear. Values range from $32 in MS60 to $100 in MS65.
1934 Heavy Motto
The motto is crisp, and the “W” is a tad higher next to the adjacent lettering. Values range from $40 in MS60 to $225 in MS65.
The major difficulty in determining types concerns the Medium and Heavy mottos. The key is the “W,” thicker and higher in Heavy.
The following diagram is from PCGS CoinFacts:
1934 Doubled Die
The 1934 Doubled Die is one of the most popular in the series (other doubled dies include 1937, 1942-D, 1943 and 1943-S). Values are $55 in Good 4, rising significantly with each higher grade to $925 in MS60 and a whopping $3,000 in MS65.
You should see strong doubling in “In God We Trust,” “Liberty” and the date.
1934 Regular Strike
This is a key date in the series, with a mintage of 3,527,200 and only the 1932 D and S rarer. Values are $200 in MS60 and $475 in MS65.
1934-D Heavy Motto
Below is a comparison between the regular strike and Heavy motto 1934-D. Values for the Heavy type are $150 in MS60 and $775 in MS65. (There is no “Light” 1934-D Motto.)
All of the six types featured here can be found in pocket change and bank rolls.
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