1958 wheat Penny, possible DDO. Old coin so it’s kinda hard to tell. 1 1

[KoyMihn]

[KoyMihn]

[JKK]

No. Suggest you look up some authentic doubled dies so you know why this isn't one.

[ldhair]

No. It's not. 

[Sandon]

   I see no doubling of any kind on this coin. It certainly isn't the extremely rare doubled die obverse, FS-101, which is listed in the "Redbook", none of which has been found for decades, and which looks like this (NGC VarietyPlus photos):

  

  Note the clear, crisp doubling on "LIBERTY" and the motto, with both images at about the same level.

[Coinbuf]

There is the slightest bit of worthless die deterioration on a few letters, but zero signs of any true die doubling at all.   Lose the microscope, great tool for a lab, just plain useless for coins.

[JKK]

On 10/18/2023 at 5:24 PM, Coinbuf said:

There is the slightest bit of worthless die deterioration on a few letters, but zero signs of any true die doubling at all.   Lose the microscope, great tool for a lab, just plain useless for coins.

After you find some cleaning evidence with one, or successfully find a RPM because you blew the mint mark up large enough to identify it, you might find yourself rethinking that about the microscope. That, of course, does not mean that the OP's doing anything but wasting his time; you're quite correct there.

[Coinbuf]

On 10/18/2023 at 6:26 PM, JKK said:

After you find some cleaning evidence with one, or successfully find a RPM because you blew the mint mark up large enough to identify it, you might find yourself rethinking that about the microscope. That, of course, does not mean that the OP's doing anything but wasting his time; you're quite correct there.

The case for the use of a microscope, by a qualified professional numismatist, is very low, less than 1% of the time.   If I cannot see something like an RPM or an OMM with a good loupe then either my eyes are so shot that I would be legally blind, or it is entirely insignificant.   As you wrote, the use of such a tool by beginners is just pointless and a waste of time as most beginners do not have the ability to differentiate between cleaning evidence, evidence from the time of strike, and anything that has been deposited on the surface from circulation/handling.  The many questions that we field here are proof of that!  I believe that suggesting the use of such a tool is needed (at any time) only fosters and encourages a behavior that is unproductive, and I see that as a disservice to a new collector.

So no, I do not need to rethink my stance on the use of microscopes in numismatics.

[ldhair]

Microscopes help a lot of folks get images to post. The problem is the quality of the images and the scope. Some are able to get great images but most just fail. 

[EagleRJO]

On 10/18/2023 at 10:15 PM, Coinbuf said:

If I cannot see something like an RPM or an OMM with a good loupe then either my eyes are so shot that I would be legally blind, or it is entirely insignificant.

I agree, but I often use my scope instead of higher mag loupes I have when say looking for die indicators or signs of tooling as for me it's much easier to use.  Plus my eyesight is not as sharp as it once was, and the FOV of the scope is greater as well as more stable.

Newer collectors should just put away their scopes until they actually need them for more advanced purposes as they often show completely worthless anomalies that can be very misleading to less experienced collectors.

On 10/18/2023 at 7:53 PM, KoyMihn said:

1958 wheat Penny, possible DDO

I agree it's not a DDO even though there may be some worthless minor strike doubling.  See the attached infographic and linked NGC webpage to help you differentiate strike or machine doubling (MD) from more collectible doubled dies (DD).

Also see the following sites which list known doubled dies, including those for a 1958 Cent.  It would not be very likely at all to find doubled dies not listed on either of these two sites.

NCG Webpage MD vs DD ... https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/5688/Double-Dies-vs-Machine-Doubling/

Doubled Die Listings ... http://doubleddie.com/228401.html  &  http://varietyvista.com/

Edited October 19, 2023 by EagleRJO