I can't find this error in the book Strike it Rich with pocket change by Ken Potter. Is this undocumented?? It's not anywhere online either! I found this while doing CRH. Can someone please verify what's here? I already gave it an acetone bath so the black stuff I don't know what it is. This 1940 S nickel looks frosty and very bright! But, it's super strange. - The 4 in 1940 is doubled, and super thick. - There are high relief markings to the bottom and right of the ponytail - There is a weird high relief mark between Jefferson's collar and I in IN, - There is a "halo" pattern going around his portrait. On the reverse... - The same halo is around the building - The S mint mark is thick, with something coming out of the right - Double die letters - A squiggly protruding error above the letter O in OF - Full steps? - The CA in America is very strange! The bottom part of the C is short and the A is super thick. Anything else?? What is this worth??
Here's a closeup of the high relief marks next to Jefferson's collar, and below it. The N in IN is also weird looking. And there's a dot next to the I.
The halo area, which I think is the area you're referring to as being polished, looks to be concave. Also, there is a huge die crack running along Jefferson's jaw to chin, and up to his mouth area. The second image in the first post shows this best.
There are also these very strange black areas which have repeated tiger striped streaks. It's seen on the building windows and the words. Yet, the words do not have the streaks directly on top of them. It looks like the words were stamped on top of those streaks, so could it be a bad planchet to begin with, along with the other errors? Or is it part of the die error, and the incuse would make the letters like that without the streaks?
Also, above and between the TA in States, there's a die crack mark. More above surface crack marks found below the E in United, below-left of O in OF, and below-right of U in United. The stripes I mentioned in the previous post look to be above the surface, as if it's some sort of lamination error, that somehow caused a high sheen area next to it. As mentioned, these stripes appear to be below the letters. There's also a high relief running along the inside-left (die crack?) in the last O of Monticello. Next to the thick S mint mark, the stripes are there, too, just not on the S itself, so I don't think the stripes came post-mint. In the last picture of this post, I show a close-up of the stripes in the building, and it's clearly above the surface. The top-center of the building looks like it's grease filled only in and around the triangle area and looks rounded above the surface as opposed to just flat (the area to the top between the columns should be flat, but is instead rounded and above the surface). And yet, the steps below and dome details above can be clearly seen (close-up pic below). I know this is a lengthy write-up but hopefully this will get some more matches with possibly other existing ones like this. Otherwise, I think it's good to document this since I can't find one on the internet or elsewhere .
I honestly can't say if it is a doubled die but along with severe die deterioration also comes machine doubling in many cases. I have come across hundreds like this and they are not major errors. Certainly hang on to it until you can get a professional opinion. I would not send to a TPG at this point but you can send to John Wexler for $4.00 plus return shipping to get his professional opinion. Go to www.doubleddie.com to see directions for submitting to him for his opinion. It won't be slabbed but you can be sure of what you have.
It was struck on a die that was ready to be trashed ! Not doubled die....not any variety known or unknown value 5 cents.
