By CoinWeek ….
On Sunday, September 21, GreatCollections will offer one of the most popular modern Mint errors: a 1969-S Lincoln Cent Doubled Die Obverse graded MS64RD by PCGS.
The extremely rare 1969-S doubled die obverse (DDO) Lincoln Cent ranks #2 in Scott Schechter and Jeff Garrett’s 100 Greatest U.S. Modern Coins and has quite an interesting backstory. Discovered in 1970 by Cecil Moorhouse and Bill Hudson, the variety was initially denounced as a forgery and seized by the United States Secret Service as a counterfeit. This swift response occurred because the Secret Service had dismantled a counterfeiting ring operated by Roy Gray and Morton Goodman the previous year. Federal agents returned the coins to Moorhouse and Hudson once they were authenticated as genuine mint errors produced at the San Francisco Mint.
According to the Jamie Hernandez, writing for PCGS Coinfacts, the United States Mint struck fewer than 100 examples of the 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Memorial Cent. As of August 2025, PCGS has certified only one coin at MS64+ RD with one finer at MS66 RD, for a total of seven grading events. NGC has certified one example at MS64 RD and one finer at MS65 RD, for a total of three. One reason for the type’s extreme rarity and corresponding high value is the dramatic, naked-eye nature of the doubling.
Graded MS64RD, the coin currently on offer is well struck – and features wholesome, original surfaces, with light scattered marks and minimal discoloration.
Bidding on this lot ends Sunday, September 21, 2024, at 4:35 PM Pacific Time (7:35 PM Eastern). At the time of publication, the current bid for this MS64RD example of the 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent is $26,000.
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To search through GreatCollection’s archive of over 600,000 certified coins and notes the company has sold, please visit the GreatCollections Auction Archives.
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Wow, goes to show how rarity and condition is everything in these error variants!
One of my favorite things to do is search cents for errors and doubled dies
That is a beautiful error coin!
With my 60 year old eyes, I can’t see the difference between a DD and a regular strike, at least not without a good magnifying glass.
Looked for errors for years and still haven’t found a 69. Found the 83 reverse double.
With my eyesight I would never see it.
That would be a hard coin to find in the wild
Still looking for mine!
26000 hummm.
I finally found one
I got served divorce papers and my buddy helped me clean up my extra change in basement – he found a 1969 S Double Die penny – NGC – MS-62 had a offer from a.pawn shop of $17.000 honest Bellevue coin dealer God Bless the coin.industry honest group – Anyone want me to.come to.coin show i.love telling the story anyone can do it my new wife is a Penny
I have three 1969s pennies in near or perfect condition he wants to buy them