1974S RPM????????

[ldarrellc]

I will let the experts decide.surprised the mint mark survived at all it is one beat up coin.

[coppercoins]

Machine doubling, and again, doesn't belong in the error category. RPMs are die varieties.

[Dick]

CD, you will forgive my ignorance, but I don't understand how the MM can show MD, and the date, not show, as well, due to close proximity. I would have called it an RPM, myself. I imagine I have several in my little batch! THanks
Dick

[eagames]

It's sort of like:

If you see similar doubling on date and mint then it probably is mechanical doubling since the mint is punched after the die is already made so both would not be "die doubling" on a real double die.

But if only the date or only mint is doubled it can be either a real double die or RPM or just mechanical. The reason is mechanical doubling often hits some areas and not others. Sometimes because the mint is higher but even if not higher it can show on one letter or part of design and not next to it or any other place.

Another confusing thing is some DDOs also came with RPMs (a nice 71-S proof DDO has an RPM) and some real DDOs also can have mechanical doubling.

Make sense?

[coppercoins]

It's mostly because the mintmark was put onto the die by hand. This means that the natural beveled angles in the design (the date) don't match up with the angles of the mintmark. The bevel of the date was designed so the coin would pop out when pushed, but given that the mintmark could be much more stubborn, it can be pushed over without the rest of the design being pushed over. That simple.