Presidential Doubled Die Mystery
Saturday September 1, 2007
I get a regular stream of email messages containing images of bizarre coinlike things that non-collectors have found in circulation. They invariably want to know what kind of error they have, and how much it's worth. One of these days I'm going to put up a photo gallery of damaged coins, just to share the fun. In the meantime, I get a few emails a week from collectors who have found something really neat that they want to share. I have a whole photo gallery of Presidential Dollar errors that site visitors have contributed, for example.Sometimes somebody sends me an error coin photo that I can't identify myself, in which case I contact one of the experts who have been absolutely wonderful to me, sharing their time and expertise to help us all learn more about our coins. But when the experts themselves send me an image that has them stumped, I know I am onto something truly fascinating!
Such was the case this past week, when well-known variety coin guru Billy Crawford sent me some images of a possible doubled die Washington Presidential Dollar. Billy isn't stumped in the manner of not knowing how to attribute the coin; the mystery comes from not having quite enough information to make a certain diagnosis. The coin he sent looks like it might show strong counter-clockwise doubling in a small area, but the Mint technician abraded it away. Then again, it might just be remnant clash marks that have been clumsily removed. Or perhaps it's a gouge, chip, or scrape on the surface of the die. Billy sets out his case, and asks for your help in finding other coins from the same die, in this Presidential Dollar doubled die mystery.
Comments
I have a couple Wash. Godless Dollars with the same scratches and more. There also is a continuation of the abrasions extending past and just below the right elbow for about 1/4″. I also same the same abrasion with a die sclah. I can tell this godless dollar struck through grease, die clash has the same exact die clash as in your die clash photo and the one listed in Coin World because I have one with out all the other errors including the abrasions. I don’t haver a camera with me so I cannot take any photos at this time.
I too have found several coins with this exact abrading. However I have found this on the 2007-P Thomas Jefferson dollar. Was the same reverse die used on Washington and Jefferson??? Wonder about the Adams coin?
I found a couple that have this very very deep abrasion in the same area, I had seen and read about when it was first reported and thought about sending Mr. Crawford a photo of mine with a note to let him know they sent a couple with this exact abrading error to Ky, but I never did.