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624

Lot 624 - 1955 Lincoln Cent. Doubled die obverse PCGS MS65 BN

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:3,750.00 USD Estimated At:7,500.00 - 9,000.00 USD
Lot 624 - 1955 Lincoln Cent. Doubled die obverse PCGS MS65 BN
1955 Lincoln Cent. Doubled die obverse. A shortage of circulating Cents during the summer of 1955 set the stage for the creation of this unusual error, perhaps the most famous error in all of U.S. numismatics. The increased demand for Cents this year compelled the Philadelphia Mint to speed its production schedule and, correspondingly, to lessen its quality control. As a result, an obverse die that had accidentally rotated between blows from the working hub slipped past the inspectors and ended up in the press. Paired with a correctly made reverse die, this obverse struck between 20,000 and 24,000 Doubled Die Cents between midnight and 8 o'clock in the morning one day during the summer of 1955. The error was not discovered until after these coins had been integrated with other properly produced 1955 Cents. Since he did not want to destroy 10 million Cents in order to stop the Doubled Die examples from leaving the Mint, Chief Coiner Sydney C. Engel decided to let them pass. The first example was discovered by the public in Massachusetts late in 1955, and the error became popular within a few years. While obtainable with patience in the XF-AU grades, the 1955/55 Doubled Die is truly rare at the finer levels of Mint State preservation.

This is a handsome, full-gem quality specimen with rich chocolate brown luster and captivating detail in Lincoln's hair and coat as well as full wheat lines on the two wheat ears of the reverse.

(#2825)
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