The 1955 Double Die Lincoln Cent is an extremely popular double die variety from the Lincoln Cent series. The doubling was caused by the improper preparation of the working dies at the Philadelphia Mint, causing one of the impressions to strike misaligned. The obverse design displays a wide spread of the lettering, making the doubling very dramatic.
Approximately 40,000 coins were struck with the doubling. Mint employees decided to release about 24,000 pieces into circulation since they were already mixed with other coins. Examples turned up in the Boston and New York area and were immediately in demand. This is still the case, and high grade examples with full Mint red color are highly attractive and very popular, bringing strong prices at auction.
Counterfeits for this variety exist, so professional authentication is recommended. A so-called "poor man's" double die also exists, which shows die deterioration doubling. This type of doubling is caused when a worn die causes distortion on the coins. The appearance is significantly less dramatic than a true double die. The pieces sometimes sell for a few dollars.
