Tag Archives: 1972 DDO

How does hub doubling happen?

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It’s called “hub doubling” for a reason. Before we get into what causes hub doubling, let’s define what the hub actually is and its role in the minting process.

Role of the Hub

A coin hub is a steel tool or punch with “positive,” or raised images of a coin’s design. The Mint uses the hub to create working dies (which have the negative, or sunken, image). The working dies are what actually strike the coin blanks to create the coins of all denominations. Here is an example.

As you can see, a hub is a master tool in the die-making process, ensuring that multiple working dies can be made consistently.

Its life, however, goes through many hands at the Mint. For starters, a design is created by an artist. That process involves dozens of people. A master hub is then made from this design. That creates all the working dies. One pair of working dies can produce hundreds of thousands of coins, and multiple working dies are created from hubs to keep up with large production runs.

Here is an example of working dies made by the hub.

Hub doubling occurs when the working die is misaligned or mismatched with the planchet. Every coin struck from that flawed die will exhibit the same doubling. That is why you cannot find a one-of-a-kind error.

Causes of Doubling

Before the mid 1990s, multiple impressions, or strikes, were required to transfer the complete design from the hub to the working die. A single press wasn’t powerful enough. The die blank had to be repeatedly heated and pressed. This issue often was the cause of doubled dies.

During this process, the hub and the die blank may not have been perfectly aligned during subsequent hubbings. This misalignment results in a duplicated image on the die face deviating from the approved design.

Errors and varieties happen when the hub or die inadvertently expands, contracts or tilts between hubbings due to improper annealing (heating) or pressure issues.

You won’t find many true and prominent modern doubled dies because the Mint now uses what is called “Single-Squeeze Process.” In other words, a high-pressure squeeze creates the die without all that warming and striking.

Here’s an example of that machine.

Doubling can still occur in the single-squeeze process if the hub slightly rotates or shifts under the extreme pressure before settling into place.

Also, the new machinery also virtually eliminated what used to be called “repunched mintmark.”

Hub doubling is a flaw in the die itself, so all coins produced by that die will show identical doubling. This is different from machine doubling, which is a minor, flat, shelf-like doubling that occurs during the actual coin striking process due to the die bouncing or shifting. As the working die deteriorates and is not changed for a new one by a Mint employee, you also will get machine doubling due to die deterioration.

Here’s an example of hub doubling featuring raised and rounded impressions v. machine doubling’s flat impressions.

Now let’s see how a true hub doubled die looks with the most famous example below.

Most Famous Example: 1955 DDO

The 1955 DDO is one of the most pronounced examples of hub doubling. You are not apt to see another like this because of the new improved machinery at the Mint. But this happened then because of pressure on the Mint to produce more cents in a high intensity work environment for the employees.

The night shift was so busy that many of the doubled die cents were mixed with other cents and released into circulation before the error was discovered. Employees and supervisors who learned about the mistake were not coin collectors. They actually believed the defective items had no special value.

The 1955 DDO is the top doubled die, with values between $1,000 to $300,000+ (depending on condition). Here are other Lincoln Cent doubled dies:

1969-S DDO

Clear doubling on the date, “LIBERTY,” and “IN GOD WE TRUST” ($13,000 to $600,000 depending on condition).

For more information, see Proxiblog’s article “Illusive 1969-S DDO.”

1972 DDO

Noticeable doubling on all obverse elements, especially “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “LIBERTY” ($175 to $23,500+ depending on condition).

For more information, see Proxiblog article: “9 1972 DDO Cents.”

1983 DDR

Doubling visible on the reverse side, particularly on “ONE CENT” and “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” ($100 to $15,000+ depending on condition).

For more information, see Proxiblog’s “3 Must-Have Doubled Die Cents.”

1984 DDO

Doubling on Lincoln’s earlobe ($100 to $15,000+ depending on condition)

For more information, see Proxiblog’s “3 Must-Have Doubled Die Cents.”

1995 DDO

Strong doubling in the words “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST” ($5 to 3,200+ depending on condition).

For more information, see Proxiblog’s “3 Must-Have Doubled Die Cents.”

There is also an ultra-rare 1958 doubled die penny, but only three have been found to date.

Numismatic News reported in 2023 that GreatCollections of Irvine, Calif., handled the sale of the above coin. It received 117 bids and was hammered at $1,136,250 with buyer’s fee.

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You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Nine 1972 Double Die Varieties

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In the popular hunt for errors and double dies, hobbyists should focus on collecting a set of the nine varieties as described by the Cherrypickers’ Guide, the Bible of double and triple dies, repunched mint marks and overdates.

Depending on the guide book, there may be more than nine varieties, but the listed nine here are the most coveted. Here is an illustration of them:

As you can see from the pictures above, the original double die is easy to discern with the naked eye. So, too, the FS-102, 103 and 105. FS-104 is the subtlest and most sought after rarity. There are ever so slight differences in the FS106-109 cents.

Please read the Cherrypickers’ Guide for a more detailed description of each type. I will include a brief overview of key diagnostics, to give you a head start. But buying and reading the Guide is of utmost importance if you are one of the ambitious hobbyists attempting to buy, bid on or find all of these double dies.

In 2023, Numismatic News reported the sale of the FS-104 cent for a whopping $21,118. That is the most coveted of these varieties.

Here are PCGS values for all of the varieties, from MS60 to MS68:

As you can see, the FS-104 brings higher values than any of the varieties, and it is also one of the most difficult to detect. You will need a loupe to see the small nodules on the “7” and “2” along with slight doubling under the “2.”

Here are diagnostics of DDO and FS-102/03.

The FS-102 and 103 are relatively easy to recognize, with the DD on the underside of the “2,” as distinct from the DDO. FS-103 is similar to FS102; but the DD on the top of the “7” distinguishes the two.

The FS-104 is included here for comparison purposes. The FS-105 has distinct doubling on the “7” and “2.” The FS-106 is similar but lacks the clearer doubling on the “7,” unlike the FS105.

You’ll need a loupe for the FS-107 that has subtle doubling on the “2,” making the “2” in the date on worn examples seem a tad larger than normal. The “7” on the FS-108 also will appear thicker than a normal “7,” but the key here is the seemingly triple DD on the “2” in uncirculated examples. Again, on worn cents, this will be difficult to decipher. The FS-109 has a clear DD on the “2” with distinct echoes above and below the “2” and a very faint echo below the “7.”

To be sure, it is unlikely that you will be able to assemble a complete set from pocket change or even buy an FS-104 in any condition. But the pursuit of these varieties can bring good results and high values, making the effort reasonable, especially since it trains the eye for grading coins and deciphering other errors and varieties.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.