1909 VDDR VDDR-039

Description

Light spread doubling appears on TE of UNITED, F of OF, TA of STATES, and M of AMERICA on this 1909 Lincoln Wheat Cent doubled die reverse, the thirty-ninth DDR cataloged for the inaugural year of Victor David Brenner's iconic Lincoln design. The "VD" prefix in VDDR indicates this is from the V.D.B. initials period — the first Lincoln Cents struck in August 1909 famously bore Brenner's initials on the reverse before public outcry led to their removal. Die stage documentation shows Stage A with the reverse in Early Die State (EDS), progressing to a die crack from Lincoln's head to the rim through the E of WE in a Mid Die State. Stages B and C remain unconfirmed. The reverse die variant is classified as RDV-004 (Deep cut N, no V.D.B.) or possibly RDV-003 (Shallow cut N, no V.D.B.), meaning this particular die was prepared after the removal of Brenner's initials. Cataloged by VarietyVista, the variety carries die marker codes UVC and DMR numbers that are still pending final assignment. The 1909 Lincoln Cent's first year of production generated intense collector interest from the moment of issue, and over a century of subsequent examination has yielded dozens of doubled die varieties for this historically significant date that launched the longest-running coin design in U.S. history.

Die Markers

• UVC-????
• DMR-0??
• Stage A:
• Reverse is EDS
• Die crack head to rim through E of WE – MDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Kathy Hofmann
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References