1931 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as WDDR-001 on the 1931 Lincoln Wheat Cent and cross-referenced as CONECA 1-R-VI and Coppercoins 1931-1DR-001, this doubled die reverse exhibits fairly strong Class VI extra thickness on all letters of E PLURIBUS UNUM, the separator dots, and both wheat ears and stems. Class VI doubling (distorted die doubling) produces a uniform thickening of design elements across the die face rather than directional displacement, arising from slight expansion or contraction of the die metal between hubbing impressions. Obverse die markers include a die scratch running northeast from the top of the 9 in the date and a die scratch running northwest from the upper left of the 1 in the date. The reverse carries a die scratch running through the lower LURIBUS in PLURIBUS. The 1931 Lincoln Wheat Cent is a significant low-mintage issue, with Philadelphia producing only approximately 19.4 million pieces during the depths of the Great Depression — a sharp decline from the hundreds of millions struck in prosperous years, making this one of the scarcer regular-issue Wheat Cents. Struck in 95% copper and 5% tin-and-zinc at 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter, the 1931 cent carries Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait and the reverse wheat ears design that had served since 1909. The three-way cross-referencing across CONECA, Coppercoins, and Wexler databases provides robust attribution documentation. The uniform Class VI thickening across EPU, dots, and both wheat elements distinguishes this variety from directional doubled dies where doubling intensity varies with position relative to the displacement axis.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Whaden Curtis and upgraded by Dr. Daniel Griffin Cross References: CONECA: 1-R-VI, Coppercoins: 1931-1DR-001
• CONECA: 1-R-VI, Coppercoins: 1931-1DR-001; Wexler Variety ID: 1931 1¢ WDDR-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References