Questions from a New Member

[Alex Bach]

Hello, everyone....

I don't know anything about coin collecting, but I started a cents collection when I was a little girl and just found my book in the attic.
I was wondering if anyone could answer some questions for me...
What do DDO and DDR stand for?
Are Lincoln cents referring to pennies made from 1909-present?
Some of my coins have a small letter underneath the date, and some do not. What do these letters signify?

Also, I have some duplicate years and I would like to exchange them with anyone who has the years I'm missing.

Thanks,
~Alex Bach

[Mark]

Alex:

Welcome to the world's greatest hobby! Also, welcome to these boards.

Now, as far as your questions go, DDO means "Double Die Obverse". The most famous "DDO" is the 1955 cent minted in Philadelphia. Here's a picture of one, if I can get this work: http://www.coppercoins.com/lincoln/1955/55counter.html

DDO means "Double Die Obverse" and so DDR naturally means "Double Die Reverse." These types of errors are created at the mint when the mint is making the dies and hubs (hubs are used to create the dies) for the coins.

Next, Lincoln cents do indeed to refer to the cents minted from 1909 to the present. The reverse design was changed in 1959 and so it is common to divide Lincoln cents into those with wheat ears on the reverse (from 1909 to 1958) and those with the Lincoln memorial on the reverse (from 1959 to the present).

The small letter beneath the date is the mint mark--it denotes at which mint the coin was struck. An "S" means the coin was struck at San Francisco and a "D" means the coin was struck at Denver. If there is no mint mark, the coin was struck at Philadelphia.

There are probably plenty of people willing to swap coins with you. This site does not have a swap board. Two that do are at PCGS.com, more specifically http://www.pcgs.com/message_boards.chtml and at http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?Cat= In both instances, I STRONGLY urge that you lurk for a while before posting so that you can see the type of interactions that occur because it's quite possible for a "newbie" to be eaten alive. Both sites are run by companies that grade and then encapsulate coins. If you read the posts there (as well as here!), you'll definitely learn a lot.

You might also consider buying the so-called "Red Book," more formally "A Guide Book of United States Coins" by R. S. Yeoman. This book has pictures of many coins, prices for U.S. coins (the accuracy is, at best, so so) but, most importantly, it has a wealth of information about coins and numismatics. Plus it's not too expensive--about $10 or so.

Well, again welcome to the best hobby ever devised. My guess is that many others will post and welcome you...and, quite likely, correct any mistakes I might have made!

Mark

[Robert]

Hi Alex! Welcome aboard.

Mark did a good job answering your questions. The only thing I'd like to add is this link.

http://www.coinworld.com/News/ShowCalendar.asp

It's a calendar of coin shows for the entire US. Hopefully one is near you. If so, you can probably find many dealers who have Lincon cents.

And I second Mark's recommendation... learn all you can about grading, etc before buying any expensive coins. This is an excellent place to learn/ask questions. Don't be shy!


The above link was posted on another board on this website:
http://www.coppercoins.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=12

[Bob P]

I can't add much to what Mark and Robert already told you Alex, and I strongly endorse what they have stated. I would like to welcome you to the coppercoins forum. We have many people here with many interests, and if you want to learn about coins...expecially Lincoln cents, then you've found the right forum to do that in. Chuck is the owner and developer for the coppercoins web site, and I am the a contributor to that site and this forum's moderator. Although coppercoins.com deal primarily with varieties (DDO's, DDR's and RPM's (repunched mintmarks), it is also a great source for general information about Lincoln cents. Feel free to look around at the link below, and once again...welcome to the forum.

http://www.coppercoins.com

[cladking]

This is a great site for lincolns but for a more general site about collecting and one that moves more quickly the PCGS site in the first link is the fastest. Just introduce yourself and don't turn on your PM (private messaging) or open your profile. There's much more tolerance for newbies now days.

Welcome to this site and there are many who keep tabs on all the sites. Each have their strenghts and weaknesses.

[Alex Bach]

Dear Mark, the two Bobs, and CladKing,

Thank you for welcoming me so warmly to your forum! Your answers were very helpful. I no longer feel like I'm painting with a blindfold.

Love & Music,
~Alex Bach
www.alexbach.com

[coppercoins]

Hi Alex, and welcome to the site.

First off I'd like to say that I see you support our troops, my brothers. I am a vet and enjoyed a number of concerts in the desert during my many stays there - sure broke the monotony and made me feel special that someone cared enough to come over and strike up a tune for us. I honor you for your efforts for our folks in BDUs (cammies) - Godspeed.

Second, by the time I got to this message all the others had already responded - not really much of anything I can offer on the subject that they didn't already get to. Wonderful bunch of guys.

Drop by often and don't hesitate to ask for help with stuff - scroll up for a reminder of what you can squeeze out of us with a simple question - all the info you could want!

- Chuck