US Coins

Readers' Lincoln cent, Roosevelt dime variety finds

By John Wexler

Published: Dec 4, 2016, 6 AM

This Proof 1956 Lincoln cent from Marvin L. Young shows strong doubling throughout the obverse.

Images courtesy of John Wexler.

Eric Axtell submitted this 1940-D Jefferson nickel with what appears to be a D punched over an inverted D.

Image courtesy of John Wexler.

A 2016-P Roosevelt dime submitted by Andrew Turnbull shows doubling on the upper right side of the center olive leave north of the RIB in PLURIBUS.

Image courtesy of John Wexler.

Richard L. Hurley submitted this 2016-D Roosevelt dime that shows an extension of the upper bands into the field on the right.

Image courtesy of John Wexler.

Varieties Notebook column from the Dec. 19, 2016, weekly issue of Coin World:

Marvin L. Young starts us off with a Proof 1956 Lincoln cent that has a very nice obverse doubled die. A strong spread toward the center, along with extra thickness, shows on the letters of IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, and on the date. I have this variety listed as 1956 1¢ Pr WDDO-002. The average life of a Lincoln cent Proof die for this era is approximately 3,000 coins, suggesting that no more than 3,000 examples of this variety exist, making it quite rare.

Lincoln cent: The popular Lincoln cent has gone through several reverse updates since it was introduced in 1909 to honor the nation's 16th president on the 100th anniversary of his birth. How much are Lincoln cents worth?

A 1940-D Jefferson 5-cent coin with what appears to be a previously unreported repunched Mint mark variety was submitted by Eric Axtell. The underlying mint mark looks like it is inverted and slightly tilted. Split serifs actually make this a triple punched Mint mark (D/D/D). I would welcome the opportunity to study an Uncirculated early die state example of this variety, which I have listed as 1940-D 5¢ WRPM-002.

Jefferson 5-cent coin: If one word sums up the Jefferson 5-cent coin, it would be "change" because throughout its storied history it has endured many changes, from placemenst of Mint marks and designer intitials, to portraits of its namesake president. How much are Jefferson 5-cent coins worth?

Dime finds surprise

A 2016-P Roosevelt dime from Andrew Turnbull has an interesting doubled die reverse. Doubling shows on the upper right side of the center olive leaf north of the RIB in PLURIBUS. I list it as 2016-P 10¢ WDDR-001. It is a surprising find, as doubled dies on the Roosevelt dimes have not been reported for quite some time. The Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America last added one to their doubled die files in 1989. I did not have any Roosevelt dime doubled dies added to my files since 2004.

Roosevelt dime: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's sudden death of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1945, compelled Treasury officials to recommend the late president's portrait to be immediately placed on a coin of regular issue. How much are Roosevelt dimes worth?

You might imagine the extra surprise I felt when a 2016-D Roosevelt dime from Richard L. Hurley showed up that also had a doubled die reverse. On this one, the doubling shows as an extension of the upper bands into the field on the right. I now have this one listed as 2016-D 10¢ WDDR-001.

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