1909 Variety WMDO-001

Description

Extensively cross-referenced across six major attribution systems, WMDO-001 on the 1909 Indian Head Cent stands as one of the most widely recognized master die doubling varieties in American numismatics. The Wexler Team cataloged this under ID 1909 1¢ WMDO-001, with cross-references to Snow S1, CONECA DDO-001, Cherrypickers' Guide FS-01-1909-101, Flynn DDO-001, and F.IND.ERS FND-001 — a breadth of attribution coverage that confirms this variety's significance across the full spectrum of variety collecting organizations. As a master die doubling variety, WMDO-001 differs fundamentally from working die doubled dies: the doubling originated during the manufacture of the master die itself, meaning every working die produced from that master carries the same doubled characteristics. This amplifies the variety's survival population because multiple working dies — potentially dozens — all bore the identical doubling, whereas a standard doubled die variety exists only on the single working die that received the misaligned hub impression. The 1909 Indian Head Cent occupies the terminal position in James Longacre's iconic series, the last year before the transition to Victor David Brenner's Lincoln Cent design, and varieties on this final date benefit from the heightened collector interest that accompanies series-ending issues. Philadelphia struck 14,370,645 Indian Head Cents in 1909, sharing the year with the new Lincoln Cents that would become one of the longest-running coin designs in American history. The FS-01-1909-101 Cherrypickers' Guide listing positions this variety as the primary doubled die for the date, accessible to mainstream cherry-pickers screening 1909 Indian Heads in dealer inventories and estate collections.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Hartley Cole Cross References: Snow: S1; CONECA: DDO-001; Cherrypickers: FS-01-1909-101; Flynn: DDO-001; F.IND.ERS: FND-001
• Snow: S1; CONECA: DDO-001; Cherrypickers: FS-01-1909-101; Flynn: DDO-001; F.IND.ERS: FND-001; Wexler Variety ID: 1909 1¢ WMDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References