Expert: Ronald Fern - 3/22/2010

Question
i have been trying to do some research about double dies . i noticed papa jack posted on this site he also came across an 86 d .  i believe i may have the same coin ? it shows doubling through the 9 8 and 6. and looking from the side the 8 and 6 are raised and seperated with a very visible 86 doubled on the right . would this be machine doubling ? i know he was told that it has not been recorded but if the two coins were identical would they be true or machined processes? id like to see his pics if available . and who can authenticate these items ? ive emailed coneca and have had no respose . just curious thanks . mak

Answer
Hi Mark:

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to answer your question.

I'm not familiar with the answers the other AllExperts people provide in detail. I sometimes reference the prior answers to see if the question has been answered or something similar exists, but do not read any of the replies on a regular basis in detail.

I can give you the basic definition of machine doubling verses die doubling. Basically, strike doubling is flat, and not two distinct images, where die doubling is raised and distinct. Rather than go into a long description of how to tell the differences, I'm going to provide a link that describes this well and includes photos. Some experts feel anything that results in an error caused by the mint should be considered as collectible and sometimes valuable. The errors caused by strike doubling seem to be getting more notice. See: http://www.coinbidders.com/Strike%20Doubling%20Flyer%20-%20PDF.pdf

I'm not familiar with your coin. Without seeing it, or having photos, I can't say what type of doubling it may be. I've seen two coins that were very similar and they were ejection or machine doubling, so that is not a definite criteria in establishing if it was die doubled or not. I'm not privy to all the new doubled dies that are found, but can direct you to someone who is one of the prime experts in the field, John Wexler, a friend and colleague. You may contact him at: http://www.doubleddie.com

You say you contacted CONECA. I'm not sure who you reached, but you need to contact James Wiles. Here is a link where you'll find his e-mail address. He's the guy who knows doubled dies. http://www.varietyvista.com/index.htm

Normally, coins are not worth authenticating unless they are significant doubled dies. The cost to insure, ship and authenticate is prohibitive.

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Thanks, and good luck in your collecting.