Class 6 Double Dies

[lincparr]

I am still not a pro at looking Lincoln Cents,but I am getting there.
I have a hard time trying to find the class 6 coins.Most older Lincolns with severe circulation have characters that have flattened out and may look like class 6 double dies.Is there a"trick" to detecting these coins? Should I be looking at the elevation of these characters rather than the width? any suggestions would help,Thanks

[coop]

Welcome aboard lincparr.
You state good point about circulated coins. The wheat Cents do tend to flatten on the devices of the coin so Class 6 doubled dies are harder to determine. I always go with BU coins if I can get them, but I also search circulated coins before storing wheat Cents. I put them into a large container and when it get full, then its time to get rid of them. If I have BU wheat Cents that are spotted, damaged by coin wrappers I put them into the container to add to ones that I will sell later. But on circulated doubled dies, the only sure way you can tell is by looking for the notches caused by a doubled die. Class 6 ones tend to hide in circulated coins so I may overlook them as I find that a true collector wants a BU coin and spending a lot of time on circulated don't bring back the worth from coins you may want to trade or sell. Not that I'm saying they are not worth looking at, just they are not as desirable to a buyer that may want them. But on circulated coins you might find other things that people collect as over mintmarks, RPMs and doubled eyelids. There is a lot to learn about collecting so keep looking and you'll find something. You never know what you have in your hand could be worth a little or what is marked on the reverse of the coin. Hope this helps.

[coppercoins]

Lincparr,

One of the best signs that you have a class 6 doubled die is that the outer edges of the IB of LIBERTY will curve inward.

Another really good telling factor is that the 9 of the date will be thicker in areas that parallel the rim, and thinner in areas that don't.

If you have a coin that is circulated enough that it's hard to tell the difference, it's probably not worth keeping anyway. One of the primary reasons why we collect doubled dies is to enjoy the diagnostics of the doubling, and if they are so worn that you can't easily see the diagnostics, the doubling isn't much worth messing with.

On the coins I can't tell easily one way or the other, I toss them back in the bag regardless. I only keep the class 6 coins that are rather clearly visible.