1909 VDDR VDDR-028

Description

Light spread visible on TE of UNITED, F of OF, TA of STATES, and M of AMERICA characterizes this inaugural-year Lincoln wheat cent VDDR-028, a doubled die reverse from the series' debut in 1909. VarietyVista documented this die with UVC and DMR numbers still pending assignment (listed as UVC-???? DMR-0??), indicating the variety was recently cataloged and awaiting final code assignment at the time of listing. The four-stage die progression provides valuable attribution data: Stage A at early die state remains unconfirmed; Stage B at early-to-mid die state exhibits die clash marks through the C of CENT and die clash evidence at the throat and behind the neck; Stages C and D at mid and late die state are also unconfirmed. The reverse die is identified as either RDV-004 (deep cut N, no V.D.B.) or RDV-003 (shallow cut N, no V.D.B.), meaning this is specifically a non-V.D.B. reverse die, placing the variety on cents struck after the V.D.B. initials were removed from the reverse partway through the 1909 production year. The removal of Victor David Brenner's initials from the reverse was ordered by Mint Director Frank Leach after public criticism that the letters were too prominent, making V.D.B. and non-V.D.B. cents the two major subtypes of the 1909 Lincoln cent's inaugural year. The die clash markers documented at Stage B (through C of CENT, at throat and behind neck) confirm that the obverse and reverse dies struck each other without a planchet between them at least once during the die's service life, adding a die clash overlay to the doubled die variety and providing additional attribution diagnostics. This first-year DDR variety carries historical significance as evidence of die preparation variability from the very beginning of the Lincoln cent's now-century-plus production run.

Die Markers

• UVC-????
• DMR-0??
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die clash through C of CENT – EMDS
• Die clash at throat and behind neck – EMDS
• Stage C:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage D:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Blaine Neupert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References