1977-D Double Earlobe?

On a doubled earlobe, the affected are will be raised above the normal surface of the design/fields. On your coin there is no raised area, but an incuse area on what you are look at. An incuse mark is 99% of the time coin contact with other coins in circulation. That is the case for your coin. Nothing is showing spread, just a contact mark. Take a view of this image of doubled ears and enlarge the image to see why each one is a doubled earlobe.

Note the rise of the metal on each one of these doubled ears. Incuse contact is just damage to a coin. The view above will show each one of these examples are a doubled ear. So why does this design rise? Doubling of the hub design causes this happen on the die. The incuse design will be incuse on the die when the double hub process happens. Thus the deeper mark on the die will show up raised higher on the coins. Incuse marks are usually coin damage, not a die issue.

CoopHome: What makes a doubled ear, and why is a doubled ear always raised on the design area? Doubling of the hub design causes this

Just damage. Pushed metal happened after the strike. On a doubled die, the extra incuse depth, causes the metal to show a raised area, like an earlobe. It copies the design. Look again a these images, you will see the shape of the hub, not disturbed metal on the surface of the coin.





Skimmed metal, doesn't make this a doubled die. The design is doubled. The design on your coin is normal. The contact, altered the coin.

ok I'll wait to see the right coin.