DDO on 2021-P Dime? 1 1

[Mason Holstein]

I found a 2021-P dime that appears to have doubling on the observe lettering and wording. Does it look like mechanical doubling or a doubled die?

[Coinbuf]

Worthless strike doubling; AKA mechanical doubling; is all.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Coinbuf

[Mason Holstein]

Thank you for your answer, Coinbuf!
Additionally, I believe this 1986-D penny has mechanical doubling too. However, I can't tell if the mintmark was repunched (a valuable variety) or just mechanically doubled too
 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Mason Holstein

[Coinbuf]

On 12/13/2023 at 11:57 AM, Mason Holstein said:

Thank you for your answer, Coinbuf!
Additionally, I believe this 1986-D penny has mechanical doubling too. However, I can't tell if the mintmark was repunched (a valuable variety) or just mechanically doubled too
 

The mint was not hand punching mintmarks at the time this cent was produced so there is no possibility of an RPM.   The zinc core copper coated cents produced from 1982 to current have lots of issues.   What you see is just more strike doubling; this happens when one of the dies is loose; combined with some ghosting.   The copper plating has been a real pain for the mint and even today there are lots of problems, partly because in the striking process the copper plating stretches and then you get lots of ghosting next to the design elements.   So between the ghosting, split plating issues, die deterioration (from overusing the dies and can also create some ghosting), and just plain mechanical doubling the modern cents are a mess.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Coinbuf

[Henri Charriere]

On 12/13/2023 at 2:35 PM, Coinbuf said:

The mint was not hand punching mintmarks at the time this cent was produced so there is no possibility of an RPM.   The zinc core copper coated cents produced from 1982 to current have lots of issues.   What you see is just more strike doubling; this happens when one of the dies is loose; combined with some ghosting.   The copper plating has been a real pain for the mint and even today there are lots of problems, partly because in the strik process the copper plating stretches and then you get lots of ghosting next to the design elements.   So between the ghosting, split plating issues, die deterioration (from overusing the dies), and just plain mechanical doubling the modern cents are a mess.

(Enquiring minds would like to know whether unavailability explains why you have not filled the slots for '76, '89 and '00 on your Set Registry or whether the examples you have found are not CAC-worthy in your opinion.  That's a very powerful set!)  

[powermad5000]

I see die deterioration doubling on your Roosy, and I can't say 100% for sure what condition exists on your Lincoln Cent as you only posted a partial pic of just the date and mintmark and not the entire coin. But, typically cents of this era had forms of strike doubling due to heavy overuse of dies as well as planchet plating problems. I think the only years that had actual doubled die obverses that were widely recognized and accepted were 1972, 1984, and 1995.

Around 2000-2002 I believe, is when the mint went to the single squeeze hubbing process which basically (but not entirely) eliminated chances of finding a coin with doubling after that date.

[VKurtB]

Uniform advice to all high mag coin checkers, not just Mason: Put away the verkakte high magnification microscopes and get a nice 5x -7x loupe. You are getting NOTHING USEFUL out of these hig mag images. They obscure as much or more than they reveal. 

[Greenstang]

Good advice from VKurt, it you can't see it at 5X, it is irellevent anyway as it would not be recognized by a TPG.