What Is a ‘Doubled Die’ Penny?Īccording to the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), the world’s largest rare coin authentication and grading service, a coin-making die is classified as “a cylindrical shaft of steel that imparts one side of a coin’s design.” Two dies are used for striking a coin, one for the front - the obverse or “head’s” side - design of the coin and the other for the back - the reverse or “tail’s” side - of the coin, according to Donn Pearlman, Professional Numismatists Guild affiliate member AF498. A childhood rhyme goes a little something like this: “Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck!” But what if you found a penny, picked it up, and it was worth millions of dollars? That might be all the luck you need right there.Īn auction run by GreatCollections Coin Auctions, the official auctioneer of the American Numismatic Association, a nonprofit organization that provides educational materials and programming about coins, currency, tokens and medals, sold a rare 1958 batch “doubled die” penny for $1.136 million in January 2023.

Value of us silver dollars 1972