1937 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-001

Description

Primary reverse doubled die designation for the 1937 Lincoln wheat cent, DDR-001 exhibits medium extra thickness on E PLURIBUS UNUM, the dots flanking the motto, and both wheat ears and stems on Victor David Brenner's reverse design. VarietyVista cataloged this variety under UVC-1378 and DMR-012, documenting three die stages with important cross-variety linkage: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B where the reverse shows mid die state and the obverse is cross-listed as DDO-009 also at mid die state, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The dual-variety notation is significant — this reverse die was mated with an obverse die that itself carries doubled die characteristics cataloged as DDO-009, meaning specimens from this die marriage display hub doubling on both the obverse and reverse simultaneously, a pairing that elevates the variety's collector appeal. Philadelphia struck approximately 309.2 million Lincoln wheat cents in 1937, a Depression-recovery era mintage that marks the series' gradual return to pre-Depression production levels. The medium extra thickness on E PLURIBUS UNUM — positioned in the central upper reverse between the wheat ears — affects lettering that Brenner rendered in a serif typeface particularly sensitive to hub doubling, as the thin serifs and stroke transitions show thickening more readily than heavier block letters. The wheat ears and stems, with their fine parallel grain lines, similarly amplify doubling visibility. The MDS confirmation for Stage B establishes that specimens with moderate die wear have been verified, and the concurrent MDS status on the DDO-009 obverse provides a die state reference point for the complete die marriage. Collectors seeking this variety should examine the E PLURIBUS UNUM inscription and wheat ear detail under 10-15x magnification, where the medium extra thickness manifests as broader-than-normal letter strokes and grain lines.

Die Markers

• UVC-1378
• DMR-012
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse is MDS
• Obverse is LISTED as DDO-009 – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Larry Patterson
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References