The 1955 Double Die Cent: One of the Most Famous US Coins of the 20th Century

The 1955 double die cent ranks as one of the most famous US coins of the 20th century.

This video explains what is a double die coin, how to spot double die coins, and demonstrates what happened during the coin die and hub manufacturing process leading to the error cent being released from the Philadelphia Mint in 1955.

Charts document 1955 double die penny value trends over many decades. Like other classic U.S. coins, price advancements for the 1955 double die cent outperform most collectible coins.

Also, a nostalgic “1955 Year in Review” is presented.

Learn more at:
https://www.rarecoins101.com/
https://www.rarecoins101.com/key-date-coin-list.html
https://www.rarecoins101.com/1955-lincoln-cent-doubled-die.html

1955 Doubled Die Image:
https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-18C0EK/1955-lincoln-cent-fs-101-doubled-die-obverse-ms-64-rd-pcgs

SOURCES:

1955 DOUBLED DIE OBV 1C MS
https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-explorer/united-states/cents/lincoln-cents-wheat-reverse-1909-1958/12825/1955-doubled-die-obv-1c-ms/

Fiery Gem MS65 1955 Doubled Die Cent
https://coins.ha.com/itm/lincoln-cents/small-cents/1955-55-1c-doubled-die-ms65-red-pcgs-a-blazing-fiery-gem-example-and-one-of-the-finest-we-ve-seen-or-ever-expect-to-see/a/382-10125.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515

1955 Doubled Die Obverse. MS-66 RD
https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-AOQRG/1955-doubled-die-obverse-ms-66-rd-ngc

Gem Red Uncirculated 1955/55 Doubled Die Cent
https://coins.ha.com/itm/lincoln-cents/small-cents/1955-55-1c-doubled-die-ms65-red-pcgs-a-shortage-of-circulating-cents-during-the-summer-of-1955-set-the-stage-for-the-produ/a/372-5439.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515

1955 Coin Shortage Explained
https://www.numismaticnews.net/collecting-101/coins-of-1955-why-were-the-mintages-so-low

https://www.pcgs.com/news/the-1955-doubled-die-lincoln-cent-turns-70
The 1955 Doubled Die Lincoln Cent Turns 70
By Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez - March 3, 2025

Wexler's Die Varieties
https://doubleddie.com/203843.html

Disneyland opens
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/july-17/disneyland-opens

United States in the Vietnam War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_in_the_Vietnam_War

Montgomery bus boycott
https://www.britannica.com/event/Montgomery-bus-boycott

History and the Census: Philo Farnsworth and the Invention of Television
https://www.census.gov/about/history/stories/monthly/2023/september-2023.html#:~:text=Between%201950%20and%201955%2C%20the,American%20homes%20had%20a%20television.

Car ownership
https://brainly.com/question/29555356

Birth Rate Data
https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/nchs-births-and-general-fertility-rates-united-states

VIDEO CREDITS:

THE BALLAD OF DAVY CROCKETT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCSjQGFX7iw&list=RDJCSjQGFX7iw&start_radio=1

Eisenhower held first televised news conference 60 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWXm2io9bWU

Blackboard Jungle Opening Credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bUUjriEj9s&list=RD9bUUjriEj9s&start_radio=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JGaklDIDAI&list=RD7JGaklDIDAI&start_radio=1

Disneyland July 17, 1955 Opening Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-57yPRWlO7U

Freedom of the American Road (Part 1, 1955)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86heFUBXxeA&t=216s

Otto Graham's Final Game: 1955 NFL Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR3oGeqAHds

Minting Coins at the Philadelphia Mint How They Make Money
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slRuqBCl4gQ

IMAGES:

1955 Chevy Bel Air
GM Archives

Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955)
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/wVB7ONGfJNDPFitfRcTyMQMpzBc.jpg

8 Things You May Not Know About Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine
https://www.history.com/articles/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-jonas-salk-and-the-polio-vaccine

Salk’s polio vaccine was such a huge medical advance, it made front page headlines in 1955
https://clickamericana.com/topics/health-medicine/safe-efficient-potent-polio-vaccine-great-medical-advance-1955

McEmpire – how a random man became the owner of a large Corporation and a billionaire
https://expans.io/2022/08/03/mcempire-how-a-random-man-became-the-owner-of-a-large-corporation-and-a-billionaire/

Kansas Historical Society hosts author of new book detailing deadly Udall tornado
https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/15/kansas-historical-society-hosts-author-of-new-book-detailing-deadly-udall-tornado/

Rock Around The Clock – The Very Best Of Bill Haley & His Comets
https://www.notnowmusic.com/product/rock-around-the-clock-the-very-best-of-bill-haley-his-comets/

The automobile crash that killed James Dean on Sept. 30, 1955 in Cholame, California
https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoricalCapsule/comments/1cikh99/the_automobile_crash_that_killed_james_dean_on/

James Dean - Rebel Without a Cause
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dean#/media/File:James_Dean_in_Rebel_Without_a_Cause.jpg

MAAG-Vietnam
https://www.flickr.com/photos/linh-yoshimura/52319740616/in/album-72157686145317705

U.S. troops wading through a marsh in the Mekong delta, South Vietnam, 1967.
Encyclopædia Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War#/media/1/628478/215045

Rosa Parks sitting on a bus
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rosa-Parks

Alabama's capitol city marks 65th anniversary of Montgomery Bus Boycott
https://www.apr.org/news/2020-12-05/alabamas-capitol-city-marks-65th-anniversary-of-montgomery-bus-boycott

Montgomery Bus Boycott
https://www.newspapers.com/topics/civil-rights/montgomery-bus-boycott/

I-77 Under Construction
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10169339682405177&set=pcb.889637032686006

The Movies and Shows to Rewatch When You Crave Normalcy
https://www.wired.com/story/what-we-keep-rebinging/

I Love Lucy
https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Love_Lucy

$64,000 Question
https://televisionheaven.co.uk/tv-history/the-quiz-show-scandals-of-the-1950s

Newborn Child/Baby Boom Generation
https://www.romper.com/life/these-vintage-maternity-ward-photos-prove-that-motherhood-is-timeless-22422200

The Yankees-Dodgers Rivalry Continues
https://www.jackierobinsonmuseum.org/learn/stories/the-yankees-dodgers-rivalry-continues/

Q. David Bowers
https://coinweek.com/stacks-bowers-galleries-announces-retirement-of-legendary-numismatist-q-david-bowers/

A 25-cent cigarette vending machine. USA, 1955
https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoricalCapsule/comments/1f3kd0y/a_25cent_cigarette_vending_machine_usa_1955/

MUSIC:

Plain / Acoustic Inspiring Folk Music
https://pixabay.com/music/corporate-plain-acoustic-inspiring-folk-music-128699/

Sincerely
The McGuire Sisters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mACgf6TXI7I&list=RDmACgf6TXI7I&start_radio=1

It's a Small World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxRW-duSCLA&list=RDPxRW-duSCLA&start_radio=1

Alex North Unchained Melody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDWyPcTplrw&list=RDgDWyPcTplrw&start_radio=1

Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX45pYvxDiA&list=RDCX45pYvxDiA&start_radio=1

SOUND EFFECTS:

Car Engine Roaring
https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/car-engine-roaring-376881/

Nissan Maxima burnout (04-25-2009)
https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/nissan-maxima-burnout-04-25-2009-6344/