US Coins

Varieties Notebook: Collectors continue the hunt

Coin World readers continue to search their U.S. coins for die varieties. This month’s installment of this column features four new listings for my files.

Richard Miller submitted a 1947 Lincoln cent with a previously unlisted doubled die obverse.

A Class IV spread to the south shows on the bottom of the inside of the ear, the top of the bow tie, the eyelid, the top of the 9, the TRU in TRUST, and the D in GOD.

An additional partial extra eyelid can be seen east of the normal eyelid. This one is now listed as 1947 1¢ WDDO-007 in my files. Coppercoins added the variety to their files as 1947P-1DO-006 and the Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America listed the variety as 1947 1¢ 5-O-IV+VIII.

A 2013 Lincoln cent from Joseph Koelling has a remarkable doubled die reverse. Strong extra thickness shows on the lower letters in OF AMERICA and the designer’s initials LB and JFM. Distortion shows on the incuse letters of E PLURIBUS UNUM. It is easiest to spot this one on the initials JFM where the verticals of each letter are three times the normal thickness. I have this one listed as 2013 1¢ WDDR-001 and Coppercoins lists it as 2013P-1DR-001. The variety shows that doubled dies are still coming out of the U.S. Mints. Who will report the first 2014 doubled die variety of any denomination?

John S. Gillilan has a passion for Winged Liberty Head dimes and submitted a 1936-D dime with two different varieties. The obverse has a previously unlisted doubled die while the reverse has a strong repunched Mint mark variety.

The obverse shows strong doubling on the lower 9. I have this doubled die listed as 1936-D 10¢ WDDO-001.

The RPM variety is described as a D/D North. With RPMs the given direction is the direction one moves in to get from the primary or stronger punch to the secondary or weaker punch. I now have this RPM listed as 1936-D 10¢ WRPM-005 while CONECA lists the RPM as 1936-D 10¢ RPM #4.

CONECA does not list the obverse doubled die.

John Wexler is a renowned numismatic researcher and author on error coins and die varieties.


Community Comments