AUS. 1943-I Halfpenny, possible DDR

[KurtS]

I found this looking through a dealer's cache today. I was struck immediately by a few apparent details such as
the thickness of the roo's tail, distortion of KG and the mint dots, and dramatic thickening of the serifs in letters throughout the reverse.

This particular coin reminds me of the 1890 Indian Head cent DDO, with similarly blocky serifs and overall inward displacement. I forget exactly what "class" of doubled dies this is, which may not apply to die making processes here.



Compare to a normal 43-I reverse:

[Robert]

That dot before "Half Penny" sure looks elongated/egg-shaped. I think it is a DD. Good find!

[KurtS]

Thanks...could be!
I was also struck by the contrasting sharpness of the 3 in the date, and I wonder if that says something about the die making process--did the working hub only have the first digits, with the last one added to the die? I'll need to compare with other coins to see this is a common occurrence.

[Dick]

Nice find Kurt! that "roo', looks like he is ready for "hibernation"!
Dick

[KurtS]

Dick, you're right--I did not pay attention to the roo until now, but it's sure put on some weight! Take a look at the face/snout too...definitely a difference!

[KurtS]

Update: the face is actually one of the best details on this coin--a "boxing roo" perhaps?

[coppercoins]

Very strong class 6, distended hub doubled die. Sweet find!

[KurtS]

Thanks Chuck for commenting! It's certainly interesting to see how double-hubbing manifests itself outside of US coins.