An interesting thought...

[coppercoins]

I wonder if when the Philadelphia mint workers discovered they were making doubled dies in 1955 and pulled the culprit die, did they also pull the reverse die? If not, this means there would be normal 1955P cents out there with all the reverse diagnostics for the big DDO. With this being the case, I wonder how many people would pay (nominally, of course) for such a coin if documentation could be provided that the reverse on their coin was actually mater to the DDO?

Something to think about.

[Robert]

Good idea. Never thought of that.

The diagnostics would have to be very distinct. Are they?

[Bob P]

They are in fact very distinct Robert. The "X" shaped die scratches south of the left bar of the "T" in CENT is the most consistent marker for this coin and should be easy to spot on any other die pair. It is indeed a nice theory, one that I have been trying to prove for some time with no luck. But...I keep trying to make the match. I am very cruious to whether or not this is possible. Since many times reverse dies are changed in the middle of a production run, I can not see them doing away with a die that has not gone through pretty much its entire die life unless there was another problem with it.

Bob P

[Art]

Just checked a bunch of 55's looking for a 55 DDO. Found a nice "poor man's", but alas no 55 DDO. I didn't think to check the reverse on these coins.

Well back to the desk.

[GarryN]

I have a high grade 55 DDO, MS64, and I cannot see the X scratch for the life of me.

[coppercoins]

Sometimes, Garry, it takes just the right angle of light to see them - and I'm convinced that sometimes they simply aren't there. I sure hope that some day we can meet with my camera and scope in hand so I can photo your coin. It sounds like the interesting "missing link" in my stubborn persistence that a pair of die scratches could NOT have lived throughout the die's life.

[Bob P]

The lack of the die scratches certainly doesn't mean your coin is not genuine, but simply that it may have either worn off (later die stages) or was coined before the die was polished. Since this coin was frequently counterfeited , the key things to look for are the markers, but there are other ways to determine whther or not they are original. I wouldn't worry about the lack of the scratches, but having the coin photographed wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Bob P

[GarryN]

Chuck, we have to set a date maybe at a coin show along a demilitarized zone between Illinois and Missouri. St Louis?

[coppercoins]

I hear scuttlebut that there's a show coming up in October in St. Louis. Even if it's a Sunday only affair for me, I plan to attend. We'll sharpen the date later.

[Robert]

Coin World says there's a STL show Aug 22-24 at the Hilton St Louis Airport hotel, 10330 Natural Bridge Rd. 10am-7PM.

110 tables! Admission charged.

[GarryN]

Soon after I purchased the coin in 1998, I believe, I saw an article about the diagnostics of the 55 DDO. I have looked at it with a 7x and 14x scope at different angles and cannot see the X. I know the X is very narrow and long. The coin is in a safe deposit box and I have not looked at it in a while, so I have to look at it again. I think there are other diagnostics that I cannot recall. I have a 1972 DDO and the diagnostic die line along the reverse rim is visible on that one.

[GarryN]

Michael Fahey wrote an article in his "Detecting Counterfeits" column about the diagnostics of the 1955 DDO cent. The article appeared in the August 2, 1999 issue of Coin World. Some highlights:

"Before the dies used to strike this variety were placed in service they were polished with an abrasive. This process left a number of tiny scratches on the surface of the die, to be replaced by other markers. All of the vertical die polish lines appear on the earliest die states of the 1955 Doubled Die Cent."

"The faint series of raised lumps from the rim at 7 o'clock to the tip of the left wheat stalk usually cannot be seen unless the coin is About Uncirculated or better."

"As can be seen from the illustration, the "X" under the T actually extends all the way up to the E in ONE."

Chuck, here is a statement that may help answer your question...

"Many of these lines disappeared at least a third of the way through the die run. At this time the die was damaged in some way and all the coins after this exhibit a tiny raised lump under the left wheat stalk straight down from the O in OF."

Mr. Fahey must have been referring to other polish lines because he said in a previous paragraph: " All genuine examples exhibit an extended "X" of die polish under the left crossbar of T in CENT."

Finally:

"On all genuine coins, the juncture of the rim with the edge bevels slightly inward. On most counterfeits, the juncture of the rim and the edge is sharp, almost like a Proof coin."

Mr. Fahey closed his article by saying that unlike the 1916-D dime, there are more genuine 1955 DDO cents on the market than counterfeit ones.

[coppercoins]

Very good information, and I'm sorry I'm late in saying so. I was busy most of the last week with web development problems, and was gone to New York City all this past weekend....no computer there - well, none that I had access to. LOL!

Thanks again!

[GarryN]

Thanks, Chuck, I can't believe I save this kind of stuff!

If you think I need a life, read my treatise on the 1895 dollar in the Pittman Act stream.

[joeyuk]

along the lines of the original post.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2220838453