Lot 1052
1955. Doubled die obverse. NGC graded MS-63 Red. Scarce in fully red. A very choice example Pop 16; 42 finer.
A lighthearted anecdote is attached to the arrival of Doubled Die Cents in 1955. It seems a Boston area vending machine company got their hands on a goodly number of the original mintage (unbeknownst to them, of course) and sent them on their way via a circuitous route. At the time, this company's vending machines sold cigarettes at 23 cents a pack. So, to give a refund to the buyer who had put a quarter dollar in their machine, two cents were inserted ahead of time beneath the cellophane wrapper of each pack! Wouldn't you know it, the 1955 Doubled Dies began showing up as change, 2 cents at a time! Retired coin dealer Jim Ruddy recalls cornering a supply of Doubled Dies shortly thereafter, before he grew concerned that the error wasn't all that rare. Fretful that he was tying up too much money one modern issue, he quit buying them at 50 cents apiece after his stock topped 500! It later turned out that about 24,000 Doubled Dies were produced.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 5,500.
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