Bob S.writes: I need help finding information/references regarding the 1969-S double die Lincoln cent. The “Red Book” acknowledges it’s existence but offers little/no help of how many were minted/discovered and values. No one seems to know much about this particular coin and I would be forever grateful for any help/references you can offer.
No one yet has come up with a way to tell how many 1969-S doubled dies exist. When they are found they are usually in grades from VF to Unc. The doubling is strongest on “IN GOD” and at the date.
A doubled die error comes from a defective die set out of many that are made to strike coins each year. Only coins struck from that one particular die set have the doubled image. This type of error appears quite frequently on many U.S. coin dies, especially in the early history of U.S. coinage, though doubling in most cases is barely perceptible. The technology of the times allowed rotation, even if tiny, when the working dies were impressed multiple times.
Collectors are just beginning to discover this coin, but there isn’t yet the recognition that one sees for the 1955 and 1972 doubled dies. Current price records show a range of between $300 -$2,000 depending on grade.
