2014 Shenandoah P, Stuff On Both Sides

Like I said, I'm NOT disputing Die Deterioration. I'm asking specifically how it could cause this particular result. Like why arcs instead of straight lines?

As John1 said, this is Die Deterioration, for the most part. On ATB Quarters, the incuse peripheral letters often show smearing, which can make them look closer to the rim. The smearing is often simply a side effect of the coin expanding during the strike, but it sometimes reflects slight die instability. In any case, it's nothing significant.

When the die is cut twice by a hub - rare and valuable
When the die is used improperly, worn excessively and over used - common and not valuable

Hub doubling is what you call an accident (bad die made by mistake), Die Deterioration is not an accident (good dies that are improperly used ). Both, however, are something that could be caught so that none ever leave the mint.

How do you tell the difference in a simple rule that you are apparently looking for? You can't. It takes experience and that takes time examining coins and understanding the minting process. The information you seek is out there but there isn't going to be a one sentence synopsis that allows you to determine what you have.



Note: the 1955 "poor man's doubled die" (lower image) is actually Die Deterioration and not hub doubling.

Mint marks and dates are a completely different ball game (before they started putting them on the hub). A long time ago dates, and until more recently mint marks were added by hand.

I told you this is not a simple subject.

A variety doubling on the devices and the mint marks, happen before the dies are put into use. Things that happen to dies in use, I refer to as die events. The difference? Die varieties are on all the coin struck with those dies. Die events happen during the aging of the die. It is actually a breaking down of a normal die. Stuff happens and alters the dies. They fix them up as best as they can. Thus I call them die events.