IHC DDOs Vs. "Longacre Outlines"

I thought I'd post an example of a true IHC DDO vs. a feature that is often mistaken for a doubled die. The first photo is from a current ebay auction where the seller has bothered to highlight features on a "rare", but nonexistent 1865 DDO:



Now here is the same area as seen on the 1887 Snow-1 DDO:



The difference is rather obvious, isn't it? In the first coin, there is step-like "doubling" around the letters in many different directions, and is caused by a completely different process. Also note the complete absence of split serifs in the first coin. With a true double-hubbed die such as this 1887, the secondary impression has a distinctly directional offset, and does not encompass several sides of the lettering. Additionally, any true IHC DDO should show clearly split serifs between the hub impressions when lettering is involved, as noted here by arrows. And unlike Strike Doubling, all coins that are struck with a double-hubbed die will look exactly the same.

The features on the first coin are often mistaken for a DDO, but they are actually a very common feature on IHCs called "Longacre outlines". As Rick Snow wrote in his very useful IHC attribution guides:

quote:

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These shelflike outlines are part of the device and lettering punch and are transferred to the master die. They seem to have no purpose at all. The are part of the design but will not show up on a die if the die was not hubbed deep enough or if the die was ground down to a point where the outlines were effaced. They can be used to describe dies, but are not themselves premium varieties.

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