If you want a quick refresher of the major types of doubling–hub, machine and die deterioration–view this video. It will help you identify those types with audio explanations by Michael Bugeja.
Click here for an article on the 5 types of doubling.
Also, Proxiblog has assembled some 50 videos on this site and YouTube. Click the photo below to see them.
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Proxiblog wishes to thank the thousands of subscribers, followers and Facebook and YouTube coin group members for helping our site reach a half million hits in the past six months. A special thanks to our writers Jack Young, Jack Riley, Susan Blumlein Amodeo and John Lorenzo as well as Facebook coin group moderators who welcome our articles and posts.
With the popularity of coin microscopes, hobbyists are finding all manner of doubled dies, but only one really is valuable. Nevertheless, it is important to identify the three main types so that you can tell whether you have a valuable or face value coin.
Types of doubling covered in this article:
Hub doubling.
Machine doubling.
Die deterioration doubling.
By becoming familiar with the various types of doubling, you not only will be able to increase your knowledge of numismatics but also can help others with their finds.
Hub Doubling
This is the most important kind of doubling, always valuable because most kinds have a decent spread of letters, numbers and devices. You usually do not need a microscope. You can see these with a loupe or naked eye.
This type of doubling is produced by a misaligned hub that engraves the defect directly into the working die, meaning the image will be evident in every coin struck by that working die. That is why the result is called a variety, and not an error.
Here is the most famous doubled die resulting from a misaligned working die:
Some 40,000 of the 1955 DDO were initially struck, with about half of the run caught and destroyed, leaving about 24,000 that made it into circulation.
The key distinction of hub doubling is separated, raised and rounded doubling. Older coins typically have this kind of doubling. In the 1990s, the US Mint introduced what is called a Single Squeeze Process, reducing the number of doubled dies with less of a spread and with doubling occurring more toward the middle of the coin.
Machine doubling occurs when the die moves slightly during the striking process, distinguishing it from hub doubling, which is associated with the working die.
Because machine doubling happens during a strike, its “double” image is flat and shelf-like and not raised enveloping the letter or number like hub doubling,
Compare the two in this comparison image:
Machine doubling, which often requires a microscope to see, is common because the Mint uses extraordinarily high-speed machinery whose vibration often causes the working die to bounce on impact.
Machine doubling typically is caused by a single strike, meaning not all coins of that run will have the same impression, as happens with hub doubling. That is why machine doubling is a mechanical error and not a variety.
It also has no collector value.
Die Deterioration Doubling (DDD)
Like any manufacturing facility, the US Mint uses its equipment on a cost-saving basis, meaning working dies are used until they begin to deteriorate. The striking process is high-speed and powerful. When a die is overused, some of the lettering, numbering or devices begin to erode slightly with metal flows entering the degraded areas.
That’s why die deterioration doubling is common, without value, even though at times this mechanical error looks stretched rather than flat. This is how you distinguish between machine doubling and DDD. (Also, die deterioration appears to be a weak strike.)
When the US Mint started producing copper-plated zinc coins with pressure to produce billions of them each year, mint operators over-extended the lives of working dies, producing millions of DDDs.
There are two other types of doubling, “Split Plate Doubling” and “Reduction Lathe Doubling.” The former also is associated with copper-plated zinc cents with the plating eroding in what looks like doubling, especially on mintmarks that people confuse with repunched mintmarks (RPMs).
The final type is “Reduction Lathe Doubling,” really a production issue that happens when a design is transferred to a master hub by a lathe vibrating slightly. The doubling is subtle and again, not valuable. It looks like machine doubling and really is just a category of it.
If you would like to learn more about the minting process, click here.
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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.
A recent eBay listing of a counterfeit 1909-S VDB cent sparked me to look at the rest of this particular seller’s offerings. They had nearly half of a dozen 1881-S Morgan Dollars along with a few counterfeits of other series. The 1881-S is a relatively common coin and easily found in high mint state grades; one wouldn’t expect to stumble across a counterfeit. The first image is of one of the represented coins.
A comparison of three of the coins tells the tale. Given the scratches, dings and random “circulation” marks, this isn’t a mix up of images. There are three separate coins.
Anyone who does a lot of variety attributions of Morgan Dollars will know that 1881-S is a difficult year to attribute and generally won’t be done just by a glance like some dates. All examples from this eBay seller exhibit the same repeated contact marks.
Notable obverse marks:
Line through S
Surface scratch left of U
Small surface mark between right star 5 and 6
Notable reverse marks:
Small scratch below the base of S
Field dot between U-N and above U
Minute surface flaws between E-D
If you like posts like this, you can read more articles on counterfeit coins by Jack D. Young, Jack Riley and Michael Bugeja at this URL. Also, please subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
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You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.
Everyday on Facebook coin groups, Reddit and eBay, dryer and spooned coins appear with their owners believing they have found valuable errors. Let’s look closely at both examples of post mint damage in this article so you can identify what you have if you found examples in pocket change (literally) and rolls.
Also, this article showcases examples of sellers claiming dryer and spooned coins are valuable errors. They are not. They have no collector value.
Dryer Coin
A coin left in a home dryer or, more probably, a commercial dryer at a laundromat is known in numismatics as a “dryer coin,” dramatically changing dimensions so that it appears vastly different than the denomination.
The coin typically remains in a person’s pocket after being washed and tumbled and then falls out of the clothing and is exposed to high heat in a dryer. Sometimes it falls into the gap between the rotating inner drum and the stationary outer frame of a commercial dryer where it suffers even more damage due to grinding, friction and heat.
If you put the phrase “dryer coin” into a search engine, you get dozens of examples on Facebook and Reddit.
Dryer coins undergo these transformations: a flattening and widening of the edge, losing any reeding in the process. The heat pushes from the center outward resulting in a state that often resembles a bicycle tire with enhanced rim. The diameter becomes smaller.
Also, the result is a “mushy” discolored surface with devices literally melting away, as in the above coin. That is not a grease strike. It is a cent that was exposed to high heat in a commercial dryer. Compare:
It is important to distinguish between dryer coins and spooned ones. While both are considered damage, there are distinct differences.
Spooned
A spooned coin often looks like a dryer coin. In this case, however, the edge of a coin is intentionally hammered or pressed with the back of a spoon, eventually flattening and widening it.
The process is used to make a coin ring, as in this example:
The process of tooling the coin varies from a kitchen spoon to a handy person’s tool box and machinery. Basically, the coin is secured on a hard surface so that the person can use the back of a metal spoon, tapping, rotating and rubbing the coin over a long period (we’re talking days or even weeks).
Eventually the coin starts to mushroom toward the edge, developing an extended ring-like edge as in the above coin. At that point what remains of the coin is punched or drilled out, leaving the ring, which eventually is polished.
Some finished rings are lovely, as in this example:
Of course the finished ring looks nothing like a dryer coin. The confusion happens when the person abandons the spooning process and leaves the coin with a large ring-like edge but with the remaining devices of the coin still visible without the mushy appearance of a dryer coin.
That’s how you tell the difference between a spooned and dryer coin. Compare:
As you might expect, unknowledgeable people sell dryer and half-spooned coins as valuable error. Here’s an example of a dryer coin offered for $150.
Here’s an example of a spooned quarter misidentified as an error for $500.
Proxiblog has the largest illustrated glossary on the web. Click here. You can compare dryer and spooned coins to sunken dies and heat damage. Study all the examples so that you, too, can become a coin expert.
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There are various patterns of toned coins ranging from rainbow to terminal. Here are the major ones. You can use these terms when selling or sharing your coins with others.
Rainbow
Rainbow colors in nature are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. These can be found on coins, as in this example from one of my former coins sold on GreatCollections:
Monster
This term is often misused. Coins that are true “monsters” have exceptionally vibrant, intense, and often, high-value colorful toning, frequently associated with Morgan dollars. Again, from one of my former coins:
Target (Bull’s Eye)
Concentric rings of color, often developing from the outside rim inward. This was one of my favorites and difficult to sell:
Pastel
These coins exhibit soft, light and delicate colors, as in this former coin I owned, also sold on GreatCollections:
Natural/Skin
This refers to natural, undisturbed patina that has developed over a long period. Again, a former coin:
Cabinet
Deep, attractive, often golden or brown toning that develops slowly over many years of storage in a felt-lined cabinet. This coin actually toned over decades in such a cabinet, with the coin saved after JFK’s passing.
Crescent
Toning that appears as a crescent moon shape on a portion of the coin, often caused by how it sat in a holder or album. It was difficult for me to sell this one:
Textile
A rare sought-after pattern that mimics the texture of the canvas mint bag in which the coin was stored. Again, one of my former coins:
Mottled/Splotchy
Uneven and spotty toning as in this former coin of mine:
Taped
Coins originally taped to an album that may develop unique toning where the tape once was, as in this formerly owned coin:
Corrugated Cardboard
These are extremely rare and coveted coins because they often take on the colors of the American flag. I mourned selling this one:
Black/Terminal
Advanced oxidation that can hide coin details, often reducing desirability. You can find plenty of these once beautifully toned American Silver Eagles that crossed over from old green PCI holders to PCGS, with the Gold Shield interacting again with the toning until it goes terminal. You can see that with crossed over coins that had TrueView:
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Prompting this article is a 1914-D cent that a friend shared in a large Facebook coin group. After I explained that this was not genuine, I received additional closeup images for analysis.
A closeup image of the date and mintmark shows this coin is not a genuine 1914-D. The shape and placement of the mintmark is incorrect. This, however, is not the case of an altered date or an added mintmark; the entire coin is counterfeit.
This 1931-S had surfaced on eBay within the last few months. Comparing both reverses it is clear these were produced from the same makers and related to a large “family” of counterfeits. I’m calling this family “Notched O.” More on that momentarily.
The image quality of the 1931-S is subpar, leaving blurry images, yet enough to discern the repeating marks.
“Common marks” highlighted in Red:
Depression in O
Dent in “N” as well as the “O” in the word OF
Small indent of the “E”
At this writing I’ve only seen this on both 1914-D and 1931-S. Likely this exists on many key and semi key dates as well.
To check if your coin may belong to this “fugazi” (i.e. “fake”), look for those common marks highlighted above in red.
If you like posts like this, you can read more articles on counterfeit coins by Jack D. Young, Jack Riley and Michael Bugeja at this URL. Also, please subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
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You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.
Many hobbyists recommend holdering coins only if they are valuable enough without considering other reasons listed here.
True, the cost to grade can be prohibitive for some collectors. Top companies charge anywhere from $25-38 per coin in addition to fees for membership, handling and mailing, with additional fees for error coins, varieties, special labels or quicker turnaround times.
If cost is not a factor, you might consider holdering a coin for reasons other than inherent value.
Authenticity
A slab provides assurance that a coin is genuine, reducing the risk of purchasing a counterfeit. China exports hundreds of thousand fake coins each year to the United States, especially ones with a Carson City mintmark. If you holder the coin with PCGS, NGC, ANACS, CAC or ICG, you will have a unique barcode or serial number, allowing collectors to verify the coin’s details. Additionally, PCGS and other companies embed security chips to guard against counterfeiting.
Storage
Slabs are sonically sealed in hard plastic, protecting coins from physical damage, such as scratches and drops, as well as environmental damage. Companies also sell containers for compact storage. What’s more, you can share your love of the hobby with family and friends, letting them hold the slabs without your worrying about the coins being improperly handled.
NGC offers some of the most advanced coin holders in a range of sizes to fit virtually every coin ever struck. The company writes, “Designed for long-term preservation and protection, the NGC holders are comprised of high-quality inert materials” with security features. “Collectors, dealers and even the Smithsonian Institution trust NGC holders to protect their most treasured rarities.”
Photography
Top holdering companies also provide photos of coins, sometimes for an additional fee. This is especially important for toned coins. For example, PCGS does a fine job enhancing the rainbow of colors that grace the patina. Photos are important if you keep your collection in a bank box or live somewhere else (i.e. a college student away from home) allowing you to see your coins when and where ever you wish.
PCGS TrueView images are perfect for toned coins like this:
Family
A “family” of coins share common design elements, denominations, mintmarks or thematic characteristics within a series. For instance, you may want to collect all five 1878 Morgan dollars or W-mintmark Quarters or perhaps an example of various errors or varieties, as in the seven 1982 cents or 1942-45 silver war nickels. In these cases, a slab’s labeling is important as you assemble the family of your choice.
Set Assemblies and Registries
A complete date and mint mark set of Morgan Silver Dollars (1878–1921) usually contains close to 100 coins. Because there are so many, some hobbyists prefer year sets. Other assemble sets of a specific mintmark, such as all the coins minted in San Francisco or Carson City. A date and mintmark set of Peace Silver Dollars (1921–1935) consists of 24 coins. Regardless of the set in question, collectors may include a lesser value coin in a holder merely to complete the set in question.
Veteran hobbyists also may participate in set registry competitions, again requiring every coin or variety in the series. One of the most popular PCGS set registries are “low-ball” ones featuring the most worn coins.
Selling
It is often easier to sell, trade, or auction a coin that is already certified, particularly online or to collectors who cannot inspect it in person. Some large auction companies such as GreatCollections or Heritage may require you to holder your coins before they will list them in their catalogs. If you holder with PCGS, NGC or CAC, your coins can be sold sight unseen because of the consistency and quality of the grading.
GreatCollections even notes certification in his banner: “Certified Coin and Paper Money Auctions.”\
Provenance
Serious hobbyists often are concerned about provenance of specific rarities. But even damaged or heavily worn coins may be family heirlooms, such as a grandfather’s “pocket piece.” A coin with deep personal history can be preserved in a “perfect” state by slabbing it, even if it is not especially valuable.
In the past, family members might have passed down coins that they wore as jewelry. This was especially popular in the 19th Century. Here’s a perfect candidate for a slabbed personal heirloom, an 1885 20th Anniversary medal commemorating Abraham Lincoln’s death.
Many collectors prefer raw coins to slabbed ones because they want to hold history. There certainly is a place for that. Just keep some of the low-ball Morgan dollars, for instance, so friends and children can feel the heft of the silver.
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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.
There are many ways to figure the worth of a coin. Follow this step-by-step method, answering these questions along the way:
Is it certified?
Do you know denomination, series, strike?
Do you know the mintmark?
Do you know the Sheldon Scale?
Can you identify your coin on the Sheldon Scale?
Can you spot flaws affecting value?
Are you ready to estimate value now?
Do you know how to establish silver melt?
Is it certified?
If you have a coin certified by PCGS, NGC, ANACS, CAC and ICG, simply go to their verification sites and input the certification number on the label. Here are links:
If you have a coin holdered by another company, consider the coin inside “raw” or unholdered.
Do you know denomination, series, strike?
You need to identify these features, which every coin has:
Denomination Definition: The face value of a coin, or the specific amount of money it is meant to represent. Example: Common U.S. circulating denominations include 5 cents (nickel), 10 cents (dime), and 25 cents (quarter).
Series Definition: A series is the complete set of a specific coin design, minted over a period of years, usually including all dates and mint marks. Example: Lincoln Cent Series (1909–Present): Includes every date/mint combination of the Lincoln penny.
Strike Definition: Refers to the method of manufacturing used to create the coin. Types of Strike:
Circulation Strike (Business Strike): Coins made for everyday commerce, usually produced quickly in high volumes.
Proof Strike: Coins made for collectors, typically with higher pressure, multiple hits, and polished dies to create a mirror-like field and frosted design.
Special Mint Strike (SMS) / Burnished: Specific, high-quality finishes used for special sets.
Do you know the mintmark?
These are mintmarks for US coins identifying the facility of manufacture:
P – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The primary U.S. Mint. Most coins from Philadelphia historically had no mint mark, but the “P” now appears on most denominations except the penny. D – Denver, Colorado: Operating since 1906, this mark is found on most modern circulating coins. S – San Francisco, California: Since 1975, primarily produces high-quality “proof” sets for collectors. W – West Point, New York: Established as a mint in 1988, it mostly produces bullion and special collector coins.
Historic U.S. Mint Marks: These letters appear on older coins from facilities that are no longer in operation. C – Charlotte, North Carolina: Produced gold coins only from 1838 to 1861. D – Dahlonega, Georgia: Also produced gold coins only from 1838 to 1861 (not to be confused with the modern Denver “D”). O – New Orleans, Louisiana: Struck gold and silver coins intermittently from 1838 to 1909. CC – Carson City, Nevada: Famous for silver dollars, operating from 1870 to 1893.
Once you know the denomination, series and strike, you can go to PCGS CoinFacts to find the location of the mintmark.
Do you know the Sheldon Scale?
The Sheldon Scale is a 70-point numerical system to determine a coin’s condition and market value, ranging from 1 (Poor) to 70 (Perfect Mint State).
There are two main types of condition: circulated and uncirculated. Numbers 1–59 (Circulated), from poor to almost uncirculated.
Intermediate grades are Poor, About Good, Good, Very Good, Fine, Very Fine, Extra Fine, About or Almost Uncirculated, Uncirculated.
Here is a nifty chart for numbers and condition.
Can you identify your coin on the Sheldon Scale?
Identifying the condition is subjective, even for veterans; but you can come close if you compare your coin to the denomination, series and strike on PCGS Photograde, which provides photographs that you can use for comparison.
Example:
You have to compare obverse and reverse, but for purposes here, we’ll just do obverse.
Underestimate when you compare your coin to one on Photograde, adjusting for personal bias. In this case, you may be tempted to think your coin is almost uncirculated. But a strict comparison puts it in the Extra Fine category, somewhere between Very Fine 35 and XF45. Let’s go with XF45
Can you identify flaws affecting value?
There are dozens of possible flaws on a coin that lower value or prevent it from being “straight graded” (a numerical score). Here are major ones:
Cleaning: Harsh abrasive cleaning or polishing that damages the surface.
Environmental Damage: Corrosion, excessive toning, or verdigris.
Physical Damage: Major scratches, rim dents, or metal movement.
Altered Surfaces: Applying substances like wax, putty, or lacquer to hide flaws.
Questionable Color: Artificial re-toning, often used to make a coin look more attractive.
Filed Rims: Rims that have been filed to smooth out dents or damage.
Any one of the above flaws will reduce the value of your coin, depending on severity. In many cases, that is 25-50% of estimated worth.
Are you ready to estimate value now?
You know the denomination, series, strike and mintmark. You know the Sheldon Scale and have estimated the grade using PCGS Photograde. You eliminated possible flaws and think your coin can be straight graded.
Let’s continue with the 1900 Morgan Dollar at XF40:
Go to PCGS CoinFacts for retail and auction values for such a coin.
The retail value here is $85 (due at the time in part to the high price of silver). But only 20 have been slabbed at that grade, meaning it probably wasn’t worth the cost of grading. That is confirmed because there are no recent auction sales listed at that low grade.
Your coin is silver melt.
Do you know how to establish silver melt?
Here is the formula:
Multiply the item’s total weight (in troy ounces) by its purity percentage, then multiply that result by the current spot price of silver.
Again, let’s use that 1900 Morgan Dollar.
Morgan dollars (1878–1904, 1921) contain 90% silver and 10% copper, with a total weight of 26.73 grams, resulting in 0.77344 troy ounces of pure silver per coin.
The current market value for one troy ounce of silver, which changes frequently, happens to be $109 (during a spike in that precious metal). Thus, the silver melt value of your Morgan is 0.77344 times $109 = $84.30.
Keep in mind that coin dealers usually only buy 10-15% under silver melt. So you’re looking at about $71, depending on your buyer.
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Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other 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.
This article stems from a “copy” stamped key date 1932-D Washington Quarter. This abides by the Hobby Protection Act and isn’t to deceive anyone. As we know, counterfeiters don’t abide by the law!
The next example was sent to me by a friend. Highlighted obverse markers match the previous “copy.”
An example surfaced on eBay from a rather large seller. After a brief discussion with them showing this to be a counterfeit they removed the listing. The obverse shares a couple repeating marks, but we see additional ones to be used in the future. The reverse is a match to the example shared to be by a fellow collector.
Another internet venue provides us images of a 1932-S that shares this “common obverse.” Highlighted in green are repeating marks for this reverse.
It isn’t only key date coins that counterfeiters target! This 1936-S shares the same reverse as the aforementioned 1932s.
Keep in mint that shopping venues Temu and Etsy sell thousands of replicas, some die struck, further eroding the hobby market.
It is also important to learn die markers for the 1932-D and S key dates. Click here for that.
f you like posts like this, you can read more articles on counterfeit coins by Jack D. Young, Jack Riley and Michael Bugeja at this URL. Also, please subscribe so you can get our weekly newsletter and be informed whenever there is a new article or column.
Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other venues. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.
You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.
