1963 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-062

Description

Sitting near the upper reaches of the Wexler doubled die obverse catalog for the 1963 Lincoln Memorial Cent, WDDO-062 is a proof striking that emerged from the Philadelphia Mint's specialized proof die production line. Proof dies were manufactured through the same multi-impression hubbing process used for business-strike dies, but they subsequently received chrome plating and meticulous hand polishing to produce the brilliant mirror fields and sharply frosted devices that distinguish proof coinage. Any hubbing anomaly imprinted during the design transfer stage survived these finishing steps intact, permanently embedded beneath the chrome layer. The 3,075,645 proof Lincoln cents struck in 1963 consumed roughly a thousand die pairs over the course of the year, with each pair typically serving approximately 3,000 impressions before retirement to maintain surface quality standards. WDDO-062 was produced from one of these pairs, carrying a doubled obverse image created when the working hub shifted fractionally between successive impressions into the die blank. The higher striking pressure applied during proof production forces the planchet metal into every recess of the die more completely than in business-strike operations, which can render minor doubling visible on proof coins that would go undetected on their circulation-strike counterparts. This variety is cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 1963 1c Pr WDDO-062 and was attributed by the Wexler Team. The coin was struck on a 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet and carries Victor David Brenner's portrait of Abraham Lincoln paired with Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1963 1¢ Pr WDDO-062
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References