This is the exact specimen of the 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent that I long owned but eventually sold. This example grades AU55, and I hope it’s making whoever owns it now happy.
By Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez - September 30, 2024
Original link: https://www.pcgs.com/news/the-coin-i-most-miss-owning
I’ve written before on something I call seller’s remorse, or parting ways with something you once loved and still regret liquidating. There aren’t too many coins I can say I truly “miss.” Maybe two or three; one being the 1834 Capped Bust Half Dollar my parents bought me for my 13th birthday, and another an 1801 Draped Bust Dollar grading F12. Another one I really miss is the 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent I purchased about a decade ago.
As a longtime Lincoln Cent collector, I pursued the completion of a basic date-and-mintmark set for many years. When I checked off that goal with mostly heavily circulated pieces, I branched out into the doubled dies. And while I never did purchase the 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent – it’s a coin that has always been at least one big digit too far beyond my financial reach – the 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent was a “biggie” I eked out; I bought it back in the days when I was renting and didn’t have a mortgage or house repairs to worry about.
After purchasing the coin I submitted it to PCGS for encapsulation. The coin earned its AU55 grade, and I proudly housed that famous doubled die in my collection. However, a lot of life happened between the time I bought that coin and decided that the time had come to sell it. I got married, and my wife and I decided to prioritize paying off all our debts, including our mortgage. Naturally we began working many extra hours. We scaled back our expenses (including all streaming services, extraneous subscriptions, and most of our dining out – coffees included). And of course we sold things that were not necessary and could help us amass funds to pay off notable chunks of our debt. One of the things that I decided to part with was my 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent.
As I write this, my wife and I sit just months out from paying off all our debts – God willing no bizarre life events or curve-ball expenses throw us off our plan. The concept of having no mortgage and no borrowed money is something that has motivated many of our decisions over these last several months. And each financial sacrifice big or small has been absolutely worth it. But there are still times when I’m checking my change and looking for unusual Lincoln Cents (something I’ve long instinctually done whenever landing coins as change for a purchase) and reflect back on that 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent I parceled out of my collection months back.
Good golly, do I miss owning that piece. It’s a coin with a real story – one of about 20,000 the Philadelphia Mint willingly let go when the erroneous variety was discovered; the coin was distributed mostly into the Northeast by way of cigarette vending machines. It also launched a nationwide hysteria, inspiring millions to look for the coin in circulation during the height of the coin-collecting boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s. It’s widely regarded as the first major variety collected by scores of collectors and is arguably the most famous doubled die ever produced.
One advantage I have in selling a coin like the 1955 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Cent is that repurchasing one is more a matter of having enough money than needing enough luck to find one. I may even decide, when the time comes I buy one back, that I’ll upgrade to owning an example in the lower MS grades. But what do collectors do when they hit a financial pinch and need to liquidate truly unique coins? Does seller’s remorse eventually get the better of them or can they just move on? As for me, I made a decision that I would easily make again if I were back in the same boat. But it’s no less a quandary that I think many coin collectors face, and I hope my story helps those who have been there and done that realize they aren’t alone.
Happy Collecting, and good fortune to you!
*The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Professional Coin Grading Service or its subsidiaries. | 
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发表于 2024-10-3 12:53:48
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