1957 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-008

Description

Eighth documented doubled die reverse for the 1957 Lincoln Wheat Cent, this variety was attributed by the Wexler Team with the designation 1957 1c WDDR-008. Eight DDRs for a single date reflects both the enormous production volume at Philadelphia in 1957 and the meticulous examination that penultimate-year Wheat Cents have received from variety specialists. Doubled die reverses are created during die manufacture when successive hub impressions fail to register precisely, leaving overlapping design elements permanently engraved in the die that then transfer identically to every coin struck. The 1957 Philadelphia Mint cent was part of the second-to-last year of Brenner's wheat ears reverse, which had been in continuous production since 1909. The reverse design — featuring two curved wheat stalks, the denomination ONE CENT, the national motto E PLURIBUS UNUM, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA — provided abundant lettering and fine organic detail where hub misalignment became visible under magnification. Collectors pursuing complete DDR sets for individual Wheat Cent dates face an extensive task given how many varieties have been documented, particularly for the high-mintage dates of the 1940s and 1950s when Philadelphia and Denver produced cents by the hundreds of millions annually.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1957 1¢ WDDR-008
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References