1956 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-006

Description

Sixth in the reverse doubled die census for the 1956 Lincoln wheat cent, DDR-006 displays light spread on the lower right wheat ear combined with rotational spread on the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM — a dual-zone doubling pattern that suggests a Class V (Pivoted Hub) or similar rotational mechanism during the hubbing process. VarietyVista cataloged this die under UVC-1878 and DMR-015, documenting three stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C where both reverse and obverse surfaces show confirmed late die state characteristics. The LDS confirmation for Stage C indicates specimens exist with advanced die wear, providing collectors with evidence of the die's full production life. The comments identify this as a proof issue, meaning it was struck at the Philadelphia Mint on specially prepared planchets with polished dies — the 1956 proof set has a mintage of approximately 669,384 sets, representing the entire possible population for proof varieties. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait obverse paired with the wheat ears reverse designed for the series' 1909 debut, and the wheat ear detail on the reverse provides excellent detection surfaces for hub doubling, particularly the fine parallel lines of the wheat stalks that amplify even light displacement. Rotational spread on E PLURIBUS UNUM above the wheat ears indicates the secondary hub impression was angularly displaced relative to the primary, creating curved paths of doubling across the inscription that differ from the linear displacement seen in standard Class I varieties. Light spread classification means the doubling requires careful examination under 15-20x magnification to confirm, but the combination of wheat ear and inscription doubling provides two independent detection zones that together strengthen the attribution.

Die Markers

• UVC-1878
• DMR-015
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Reverse and Obverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References