1929-S Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

A Class II spread towards the center on the right star and DIME identifies the sole doubled die reverse documented for the 1929-S Mercury Dime. The Wexler Team attributed this variety with the designation 1929-S 10c WDDR-001, noting no other known cross-references. The obverse displays multiple die cracks — one running north-to-south through the front of the bonnet, another northwest from the rim at 7 o'clock into the base of the bust, and a third along the bottom of the bust — indicating significant die deterioration. The reverse carries a small die gouge below the N in UNITED as a diagnostic marker. Class II doubling results from hub distortion under the extreme pressures of the die-sinking process, causing design elements at different radial distances to shift by different amounts, producing a convergent or divergent spread pattern. Adolph Weinman's Mercury Dime — properly the Winged Liberty Head design — was struck at San Francisco in 1929, the same year the stock market crash would end the Roaring Twenties and usher in the Great Depression. The multiple die cracks on the obverse suggest this die pair saw extended service, with the variety appearing on later-state coins showing progressive die failure alongside the doubled reverse design.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Thomas McGowan Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1929-S 10¢ WDDR-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References