What it is
The most famous error coin in America. A working die for the 1955 Philadelphia cent received two slightly misaligned impressions from the hub, so every coin it struck shows strong doubling on the date and lettering. An estimated 20,000 or so reached circulation before the die was caught, many of them through cigarette vending machines in the Northeast.
How to identify it
- Look at the date first: both 5s and the 9 show a clear second outline, visible without magnification.
- LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST are strongly doubled, with a clear second image beside each letter.
- There is no mint mark. A 1955-D or 1955-S is not this variety.
- The doubling is rounded and raised, not flat and shelf-like.
A 5x to 10x loupe and good, angled light make the details much easier to see. For anything that looks genuine, a digital scale and a certified comparison coin help.
What gets mistaken for it
Machine doubling (strike doubling) is common on 1955 cents and is worthless. It looks like a flat, shelf-like ghost beside the letters. There is also a much weaker 1955 "poor man's doubled die" with only partial doubling on the date. Counterfeits of the real variety are common, so certification is essential.
The regular 1955 coin
The variety appears on the 1955 Lincoln Wheat Cent, which had a total mintage of 330,580,000. That figure counts the whole issue, so it does not tell you how many coins show the variety.
How the 1955 doubled die cent was made
In 1955 a working die was made by pressing a steel master hub into a blank die more than once, with the die softened by heating between blows. If the die moved or turned slightly between those blows, the second impression landed out of register with the first and every raised detail on the hub was cut into the die twice. That is what happened to one obverse die at the Philadelphia Mint. Because the fault was in the die itself, every cent it struck carries the same doubling in the same place, which is what separates a true doubled die from the many kinds of doubling that happen during striking.
The faulty obverse was paired with a normal wheat ears reverse, so the back of the coin looks completely ordinary. By the time the doubled coins were noticed, they had already been mixed with a large quantity of normal cents from other presses. Rather than hold back and melt the whole batch, the Mint released it, which is why the coins went into circulation instead of the melting pot.
How the 1955 doubled die became famous
Many of the coins went out in Massachusetts and upstate New York. Cigarettes were then sold from vending machines at a price that left a few cents of change. The vending companies tucked those cents inside the cellophane wrapper of the pack. Smokers found strange looking new cents with a blurred date and lettering. Word spread through the hobby.
The coin was soon being advertised by dealers and it earned a regular listing in A Guide Book of United States Coins, the Red Book, beside the normal dates. That listing put it in front of every Lincoln cent collector and turned it into a must-have coin for a complete set. Its fame helped launch the whole field of die variety collecting.
A step-by-step check of a 1955 cent
Start with the date in ordinary room light. On a genuine coin the second outline of the 9 and both 5s is obvious to the naked eye, even on a worn coin. If you need a loupe to find any doubling at all, the coin is almost certainly not the famous variety.
Next, use a 5x loupe, then a 10x loupe, with a single lamp held at about 45 degrees. Turn the coin slowly. On the genuine coin the second image has the same rounded profile as the main letters and the two images meet with small notches where their outlines cross. Machine doubling looks like a flat step cut into one side of each letter and never shows those notches.
Finally, confirm the features that should never vary: no mint mark below the date, a normal wheat ears reverse and a weight of about 3.11 grams on a scale that reads to 0.01 grams.
Counterfeits of the 1955 doubled die
The 1955 doubled die has been counterfeited more than almost any other Lincoln cent. Cast copies have a grainy surface, soft details and a seam or file marks on the edge. Struck copies made from dies copied from a genuine coin can look convincing, but they often show the same small raised lumps or pits in the fields on every fake from that die. A weight well away from 3.11 grams, a soft or rounded rim or a date that looks right while LIBERTY looks wrong are all warning signs.
Expert examination is the only safe check, because some fakes pass the basic doubling test. Compare any candidate with high resolution images of certified coins, paying attention to the small marks in the fields around the date.
Grades and colors collectors look for
Most survivors spent years in circulation, so the majority grade from Very Fine to About Uncirculated. Uncirculated coins are much scarcer and fully red examples are the rarest of all, because copper tones to brown over time. Grading services add a color designation of RD for red, RB for red brown or BN for brown. Color affects the premium as much as the numeric grade.
Look for original surfaces. Many 1955 doubled die cents were cleaned years ago to make them look brighter, which leaves fine hairlines and an unnatural pinkish color. A cleaned coin receives a details grade rather than a straight grade from the major services.
Getting a 1955 doubled die authenticated
PCGS and NGC both certify the variety and list it as FS-101 in the Fivaz-Stanton numbering used in the Cherrypickers' Guide. Buy only certified coins and look up the certification number on the grading service's website to make sure the holder matches the coin. If you find a candidate yourself, compare it carefully with certified images before you pay for grading.
Other 1955 cents worth checking
The same year produced the 1955-D/S cent, a Denver coin with a D punched over an S. It also produced the 1955-S, the last San Francisco cent until cent production returned there in 1968. CONECA also lists minor 1955 doubled dies with far weaker spread, which are separate attributions from the famous coin.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I have a 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent?
Look at the date first: both 5s and the 9 show a clear second outline, visible without magnification. LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST are strongly doubled, with a clear second image beside each letter. If your coin passes these checks, have it authenticated by PCGS or NGC before buying or selling.
Is the 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent valuable?
Genuine examples sell for a premium over regular coins of the same date. The amount depends on how strong the variety is, the coin's condition and whether it is certified. Compare recent sold auction results for certified coins in the same grade.
What is a doubled die obverse?
A doubled die is a die that received two slightly misaligned impressions from the hub when it was made. Every coin struck from that die shows the same doubled lettering or design. Read more about doubled dies.
Where were 1955 doubled die pennies found?
Many were first found in Massachusetts and upstate New York, often in the change packed with cigarettes from vending machines. They have since spread across the country through the coin trade.
Is there a 1955-D doubled die penny?
No. The famous doubled die is a Philadelphia cent with no mint mark. The best-known Denver variety of that year is the 1955-D/S, a D punched over an S.