1982 D DDO Small Date? 1 1

[Freida Goodhome]

I am sure this is a reach. But I genuinely cannot tell if this is DDO and/or small date. And it weighs 3.11 grams. Hopeful, like everyone else. This is both snapshot and microscope pics. Thx 

[Coinbuf]

Not a double die just some strike doubling, it is common on the zinc core copper coated coins to see this ghostly looking secondary image under high magnification.   This is a small date, but it has all the hallmarks of a zinc core copper plated coin, photos of the full obv are needed, are you sure about that weight, perhaps mixed it up with another coin?   The almost missing initials of the rev is likely from overpolishing of the die, difficult to say for sure without a full shot of the rev.   Please in the future we need full cropped in focus photos of both sides, there are other markers on the coin that are needed for us to help you.

Edited May 21 by Coinbuf

[Greenstang]

That looks like die deterioration doubling and possibly split plating on the mint mark.  
but waiting for full photos of both sides of the coin before making a decision.

[Freida Goodhome]

I am embarrassed. I did make a mistake. The other I was interested in at the time doesn't seem to be small date and it is the one that weighs 3.11. So yes, that is correct that I mixed my coins. Wow! Impressive. I can submit full pics soon anyway. Thank you so much and I will remember full pics.

[Coinbuf]

Just a point to help you understand how important the full photos are.   Notice the silver area around the bottom of the mintmark, that is the zinc core showing because the copper plating split at the time the coin was minted.   This is called split plating as greenstang mentioned in his post.   That would automatically tell us that the coin could only be a zinc core copper plated coin, but in your closeup that does not appear silver so it was not possible to confirm without the full obv photos.

Mistakes happen as long as you are having fun its all good, but please keep in mind that so far there are only 2 (or is it three I forget) examples of copper 1982-D small date cents found.    Regardless of what you may have read on the internet the chances of finding one are not in your favor, I have been collecting coins for 40+ years specializing in Lincoln cents and I don't have a scale and have never weighed a coin in my life.

Edited May 21 by Coinbuf

[Jennifer McFarland]

On 5/21/2024 at 9:31 AM, Coinbuf said:

Not a double die just some strike doubling, it is common on the zinc core copper coated coins to see this ghostly looking secondary image under high magnification.   This is a small date, but it has all the hallmarks of a zinc core copper plated coin, photos of the full obv are needed, are you sure about that weight, perhaps mixed it up with another coin?   The almost missing initials of the rev is likely from overpolishing of the die, difficult to say for sure without a full shot of the rev.   Please in the future we need full cropped in focus photos of both sides, there are other markers on the coin that are needed for us to help you.

So I wanted to know if this is the 1982 small date 

[Greenstang]

Yes it is a Small Date

[Coinbuf]

On 5/27/2024 at 8:39 AM, Jennifer McFarland said:

So I wanted to know if this is the 1982 small date 

 

Yes that is a small date, however, you are aware that there were millions of 1982 small dates minted at the Philadelphia mint correct?    The one that everyone is searching for (and wasting their time doing so) is the small date copper cent that was mistakenly struck at the Denver mint and will have a D mintmark, of which so far only two have ever been found.