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Requesting help understanding a DDR on a 1950 Swiss 20 Rappen
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9 posts in this topic

I would like to request help from better, more experienced minds than myself about what is going on with this 150-B Switzerland 20 Rappen coin which (I would reasonably estimate) is clearly in the MS-range. The picture (taken from a Tomlov  500 - 1,000X microscope camera) clearly shows doubling in the date and the denticles below it, but this is not a recognized "Variety". I have not been able to find anything remotely close to this coin but, of course, that might not mean anything.

What I am wondering is:
A) do I have something really unique here? or is it a commonplace occurrence.
B) Is it worth paying & waiting to get it NGC certified when the max value from the NGC world price guide at MS-65 is only $20?
C) If so, how do I get it officially recognized and some sort of double die when there is no known variety to choose from?, i.e. is it as simple as paying $18 and taking the chance NGC will agreement with me it is a "Mint Error"

Thanks for any and all guidance and/or opinions you'd be willing to share. Best regards - JFD

1950-B Switzerland 20 Rappen Obv2.jpg

1950-B Switzerland 20 Rappen Rev1.jpg

Edited by Dascher
Adding picture of reverse
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I don't think that's a doubled die. I do think it's an overdate of some sort. While there might also be a little bit of mechanical doubling (no premium), I don't think that explains the insides of the last two digits.

Of course, since we are not shown both sides of the whole coin, much speculation is pointless at this time.

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JKK: Great info. Thank you very much for your time & effort since I'm still I'm still somewhat new to all this but would like to fast-track my knowledge and expertise to the "enough-to-be-dangerous" lever.

I probably should have known to include a picture of the reverse as well to be thorough, so it has been added and thanks for your directness on that faux pas as well. Have a great holiday weekend - JFD   

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Spot blowups are fine so long as we also get the large, sharp images of both sides (still waiting on the obverse). Here is why that matters. If we have the whole coin, we can search all around it for evidence. This matters most when there's evidence of a die clash (dies damaged by striking without a planchet) or brockage (an extra coin involved in the strike), but also matters for such things as doubling. We would search the whole obverse for any other evidence that looked anything like the date here. If it were a doubled die, for example, we'd likely be able to see more evidence elsewhere. If not, and presuming nothing weird on the reverse, we'd confine our speculations to date punching errors or perhaps a very extreme form of mechanical doubling (the kind that's not worth anything).

While the shelfy look here is akin to that of mechanical doubling, the latter typically manifests as small, lower shelves or shadows kind of like that effect on some jerseys where they change the border to create a 3-D look (and usually look bad, but I'm old school). That's why they get mistaken for doubled dies; superficially there's a resemblance. What we don't get is shelves that relatively large with no other evidence elsewhere (which we'd need the full obverse for).

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[Not a word about the denticles?  Certainly, I am not the only viewer who sees, for lack of a better term, "ghosts" between each denticle on the southeast side, and denticles with their own individual personalities on the southwest.  One is smiling, another appears to be shouting. I am sure you have consulted the Numista web site, which cites recognized varieties, but nothing like yours.  Your reverse is stunning, but am I to believe the composition of this coin is cupro-nickel, 75%/25%?  Yours looks positively golden.  Sorry I couldn't be of greater help.]

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From my hundreds of submissions to NGC, overdates, DDO, DDR, and RPM do not get assigned a label of Mint Error. That said, I own several overdates that are also not listed as varieties. I enjoy having these pieces as they are different from the norm. However, I know these overdates do not command much over common values. In cases such as the 1942/41 mercury dime overdate where there is high demand and low surplus, there is an obvious premium over the normal values. I am not sure exactly how new varieties get established and/or recognized, and maybe someone else on here could shed some light on that subject, but I would say it takes more than a single specimen for a variety to become recognized and established. As an example, on your coin, I would say if you submitted it with the extra $18 for variety plus, it would come back as 1950/50 but I doubt you would find it listed as a new variety.

While I agree with the others that a photo of the full face of the coin would be helpful in determining a true DDO, I also noticed the denticles right away as pointed out by Quintus Arrius. Based solely on your provided photo, my humble opinion is you have some type of overdate or RPM, and there was also possibly maybe ???? a minor or start of a die clash or partial die clash to make the secondary denticles? Also in my opinion, while you don't have something that is worth a substantial premium over established values, it is definitely different and would catch someone's attention when it came time that you decide to let the coin go to a new owner.

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I may be entirely mistaken, but it seems to me a good place to begin your inquiry is NOT, as here, Counterfeit Coins, which I feel is another matter entirely but on the U.S., World and Ancient Coins topic.

After plumbing the depths there you may want to ask yourself, who would know more about these coins than the country they're minted in, and the TPGS to which they're routinely sent for analysis.

Speaking from experience, I can tell you it appears most Europeans are not particularly taken with oddities. [The Sheldon Scale hasn't really caught on either but two primary graders have acceded to the demands of collectors to offer them.]

I believe recognizing an anomaly rightly or wrongly belongs to how numismatists in the countries within which they are produced regard them.  There are clearly a number of anomalies which affect my area of interest, French 20-franc gold roosters, but as I suspected none are recognized by the French Red Book. There is a consortium of world coin dealers, many prominent, reputable and well-known in their own right, which comprise "MA-SHOPS."  I would suggest you peruse their listings and find the emporium most likely to satisfy your thirst for this specialized knowledge. You may also wish to inspect the wares offered by foreign dealers for possible comparison opportunities. Who better to evaluate a Swiss coin than a Swiss concern already positioned to do so who's done it many times over many years?  If, as member @JKK described it, "shelving" is recognized as an attributable phenomenon, I would be happy to hear of it.

Edited by Quintus Arrius
Routine die polishing.
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Hello Dascher ,1950 Swiss🇨🇭 20 Rappen

Mechanical doubling …Yes! something nice to enjoy. Simple Things to Enjoy in  Life collecting coins in Switzerland :-)

please enjoy !…. 

 

Provenance :🇨🇭 SWISS COLLECTORS 🇨🇭Gallery Made-in-Nature Switzerland.

 20 Rappen 1962 2.jpeg

 20 Rappen 1962 3.jpeg

 20 Rappen 1962 B-1.jpeg

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Not sure what this has to do with a counterfeit but I see a coin that has been damaged around the perimeter.

Not sure if it was intentional or not but it shouldn’t matter, damage is damage.

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