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1861 Indian Head Cent, Double-Struck

Hey all. I have a close friend who owns a local Brick and Mortar shop, and he asked me to show this IHC to the forum for observations and comments. I have exactly 3 Indian Head Cents, sitting in my Type collection, so I have almost zero knowledge on these coins. What do you all think? Thanks for looking, and commenting......Bob

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    DIMEMANDIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I saw this coin at the Springfield IL Show in March. It is off the charts doubled. It would be nice if you could show close-ups of "OF AMERICA".

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    DCWDCW Posts: 7,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That is really neat. And as it clearly circulated for a while, it appears that nobody really took notice.

    Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
    "Coin collecting for outcasts..."

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    DIMEMANDIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I hope Fred W. sees this and gives his opinion.

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    TreashuntTreashunt Posts: 6,747 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Really neat item.

    Frank

    BHNC #203

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    CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 33,894 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Appears to be a false die double strike (i.e., a fake error) made outside the mint.

    Take a sheet of aluminum or brass and squeeze it against a coin, This will sink a negative impression into the metal, similar to a die. Move the metal relative to the coin and squeeze again. Part of the coin will raise up into the negative impression in the medal, creating a false second strike.

    TD

    Numismatist. 54 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Also won the PNG's Robert Friedberg Award for "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.
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    Bigbuck1975Bigbuck1975 Posts: 1,278 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    tincuptincup Posts: 5,479 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Makes sense CaptHenway... would also explain why it looks like only one half of the coin appears affected... and somewhat looks flattened.

    ----- kj
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    rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Now that is unique.... Would like input from @EagleEye and @FredWeinberg ... Interesting input from @CaptHenway...I would not have thought of that one.... Cheers, RickO

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    Insider2Insider2 Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @CaptHenway said:
    Appears to be a false die double strike (i.e., a fake error) made outside the mint.

    Take a sheet of aluminum or brass and squeeze it against a coin, This will sink a negative impression into the metal, similar to a die. Move the metal relative to the coin and squeeze again. Part of the coin will raise up into the negative impression in the medal, creating a false second strike.

    TD

    Not saying you are wrong as your explanation sounds pretty good. Have you ever tried to make one? If I am thinking this out correctly in my head, the second squeeze with the fake "die" should crush the raised design on the genuine coin. So what happened to the top of the "6" and "1." Are they part of the original coin that went into the design of the second (fake die) impression?

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    23Pairer23Pairer Posts: 911 ✭✭✭

    Click on the photo, twice, for close-ups.

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    CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 33,894 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Insider2 said:

    @CaptHenway said:
    Appears to be a false die double strike (i.e., a fake error) made outside the mint.

    Take a sheet of aluminum or brass and squeeze it against a coin, This will sink a negative impression into the metal, similar to a die. Move the metal relative to the coin and squeeze again. Part of the coin will raise up into the negative impression in the medal, creating a false second strike.

    TD

    Not saying you are wrong as your explanation sounds pretty good. Have you ever tried to make one? If I am thinking this out correctly in my head, the second squeeze with the fake "die" should crush the raised design on the genuine coin. So what happened to the top of the "6" and "1." Are they part of the original coin that went into the design of the second (fake die) impression?

    Yes I did, in the shop area of Amos Press while I was writing Collectors CLearinghouse, so i could better explain the phenomenon in a column and to readers who sent stuff like this in. I used a strip of aluminum folded over and the biggest dang bench vise you have ever seen!

    The original design may be flattened a bit during both the original impression taking and the subsequent "second striking," but it mostly survives as the false die gives more than the coin does.

    The markgs above the 6 and the 1 are the ribbon end and the curl to the right of it raised up during the false strike.

    Numismatist. 54 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Also won the PNG's Robert Friedberg Award for "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.
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    Insider2Insider2 Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 8, 2018 5:40PM

    At the moment I have no opinion. Is the crescent into the right rim the dead giveaway?

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    RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wow! A single sided double strike! ;)

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    dcarrdcarr Posts: 10,067 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 8, 2018 6:22PM

    @Insider2 said:

    @CaptHenway said:
    Appears to be a false die double strike (i.e., a fake error) made outside the mint.

    Take a sheet of aluminum or brass and squeeze it against a coin, This will sink a negative impression into the metal, similar to a die. Move the metal relative to the coin and squeeze again. Part of the coin will raise up into the negative impression in the medal, creating a false second strike.

    TD

    Not saying you are wrong as your explanation sounds pretty good. Have you ever tried to make one? If I am thinking this out correctly in my head, the second squeeze with the fake "die" should crush the raised design on the genuine coin. So what happened to the top of the "6" and "1." Are they part of the original coin that went into the design of the second (fake die) impression?

    Here is a "vice job" that I did (actually using my coin press). I won't reveal exactly how it was done. But it is a genuine 1971-D Kennedy half with a superimposed impression of a 1971-S Eisenhower Dollar (obverse only). Note the raised "S" mint mark between the "9" and "7".

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    FredWeinbergFredWeinberg Posts: 6,027 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yes as mentioned above false dies for the ““ overstrike”

    Retired Collector & Dealer in Major Mint Error Coins & Currency since the 1960's.Co-Author of Whitman's "100 Greatest U.S. Mint Error Coins", and the Error Coin Encyclopedia, Vols., III & IV. Retired Authenticator for Major Mint Errors for PCGS. A 50+ Year PNG Member.A full-time numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022.
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    MedalCollectorMedalCollector Posts: 2,082 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @afford said:

    @RogerB said:
    Wow! A single sided double strike! ;)

    Counterfeiters don't know about this rule, got to have double sided.

    One-sided double strikes can and do occur. In these cases, while both sides of the coin are certainly struck more than once, it is only evident on one side due to die rotation or one-sided, first-strike design obliteration, etc. They're not as common, but I wouldn't call it a rule that they cannot exist.

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    EagleEyeEagleEye Posts: 7,677 ✭✭✭✭✭

    If the first strike was off-center, the planchet would be out of round. Clearly, it is round and therefore a basement job. Should be obvious at first glance that something is not right.

    Rick Snow, Eagle Eye Rare Coins, Inc.Check out my new web site:
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    lkeigwinlkeigwin Posts: 16,895 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @GoldenEgg said:

    @afford said:

    @RogerB said:
    Wow! A single sided double strike! ;)

    Counterfeiters don't know about this rule, got to have double sided.

    One-sided double strikes can and do occur. In these cases, while both sides of the coin are certainly struck more than once, it is only evident on one side due to die rotation or one-sided, first-strike design obliteration, etc. They're not as common, but I wouldn't call it a rule that they cannot exist.

    Or if another blank planchet was involved.
    Lance.

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