Question on a Lincoln Cent

Cperry2

What am I looking at here?

gumby1234

Extreme close ups of a 1990 D cent. Nothing to see. Spend it.

coinbuf

Two year old photos. Sorry could not resist, just a worthless strike effect that happens all the time on the zinc core copper plated cents from 1982 to current.

Manifest_Destiny

nwcoast

Welcome to the forum!
What you have is machine doubling, not the cherished error.

Have fun looking though!

Cperry2

Thanks. I suspected machine doubling on the date. but the LIB goes in a different direction and doesn't have the shelf look. So, the LIberty double is a common thing?

Cperry2

I should add, I had never noticed this particular doubling before.

gumby1234

Variety Vista is a great resource to use if you think you have found something.

coinbuf

@Cperry2 said:
I should add, I had never noticed this particular doubling before.

While very similar to machine doubling this effect happens all the time on the zinc core copper plated cents because of the pressure of striking. The copper plating gets stretched and makes this ghostly outline or what is often confused as doubling next to the letter or number. This can be on either side of the design elements and again often in both directions on the same coin.

In extreme cases the copper plating will be so stretched it will split and you will see a white outline around the letters, numbers or design; that is the zinc core showing where the copper plating split.

Cperry2

Thank you all for your input. You saved me from some embarrassment. I saw one of these minus the doubling on the date, for sale on eBay and thought I had a good thing.

I'll check out Variety Vista.