1958 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-002

Description

Second doubled die reverse for the 1958 Lincoln Wheat Cent — the final year of Victor David Brenner's iconic wheat ears reverse that had graced the Lincoln Cent since 1909. The Wexler Team attributed this variety with the designation 1958 1c WDDR-002, and no other cross-references are currently known. The historical significance of the 1958 date cannot be overstated: it represents the close of a forty-nine-year production run for one of America's most beloved coin designs. Beginning in 1959, Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse would replace the wheat motif, ending an era. Doubled die reverses form when the hub — carrying the positive relief design — is pressed into the die blank at slightly different positions on successive impressions, embedding overlapping design elements in the die's intaglio surface that then transfer to every coin struck. Brenner's wheat ears design featured two symmetrical stalks curving upward from the base, framing ONE CENT, E PLURIBUS UNUM with separator dots, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA — a composition that provided numerous fine elements where hub displacement became detectable. As the second DDR for the terminal Wheat Cent year, this variety is part of the final chapter of reverse hub varieties documented on a design that spanned nearly half a century of American coinage history.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1958 1¢ WDDR-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References