1960 Lincoln Memorial Cent Over Date?

The marks you are seeing on the date is damage or ejection marks. They are not a large over small date/doubled die as the letters are still the same size, just metal moved on the tops of the devices. Here is an example from the coppercoins website.
http://coppercoins.com/lincoln/dies...ie_state=mds
Note the date over the date. The large date removed some of the small dates hubbing, showing a distortion. But look closely at the zero in the date. That is the real story teller. The 9&6 are of defferent length which is seem, but the two different sizes of the 0 make a much wider device on the digit. This is what a hubbing over another hubbing would create and what collectors watch for. The marks on the tops of the devices are just moved metal on your coin, but the doubled dies devices are enlarged.

Another thing that makes havoc with the eyes:

We've got humor. It's just not understood by some.

Jim: They are just small dates. they look that way. Take a look again at the zero in the date of the image from coppercoins. The zero is huge because the sizes were different on both hubs that formed that die. Better yet here is an image of one that I have.



The difference just jumps out at you when you find one. Sometimes we look too hard for something that isn't there. It's just part of the training of the eye. At first, you see nothing different, then you see too much that is nothing. When you find one it will leap out at you. That die is also a RPM also in case anyone missed it. The reason it is a variety is that all coins struck with that die look exactly like this. On a worn/damaged/over polished/die gouged/cracked, chip or broken die, they will develop with time. Not so for a doubled die or RPM or over date. They were that way before they struck a coin.

The size and shape of the 1960D with large and small date hubbings takes on BOTH the large and the small date sizes at the same time. This makes the overall appearance of the date a large date until a closer look reveals that the center of the digits resembles that of a small date. Once the two-second fog of confusion goes away, you realize that you have both - large and small date - on one coin.

This so-called 'overdate' is known ONLY on ONE die for mint state coins, and that happens to be a nice north RPM as well.

The so-called 'overdate' is also known on THREE different proof dies.

There are NO COINS KNOWN for mint state Philadelphia strikes.

As much as 1960 cents have been studied through the years, it is very highly unlikely that any new dies will surface. Get to know what the known dies look like and watch for those.