1964-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-015

Description

Featuring a close spread on the UN in UNITED and ONE CENT, the 1964-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-015 is accompanied by die markers that record both accumulated wear and structural fatigue in the die. On the obverse, a die scratch runs southwest from the 1 in the date to Lincoln's vest — a long, diagonal marker that should be conspicuous under magnification and serves as a quick first-check when screening candidate coins. The reverse presents a cluster of markers concentrated around the denomination: a die gouge between the lower O and N in ONE, die scratches inside the NE in ONE, and a die scratch connecting the upper C and E in CENT. Beyond the denomination area, numerous die scratches extend north from the upper left Memorial, and a die crack runs down the twelfth Memorial column. The die crack on the twelfth column is noteworthy because it indicates structural fatigue in the die steel — as the die was repeatedly subjected to the enormous pressures of coin striking, microscopic fractures developed and propagated through the die face, eventually becoming visible as raised lines on struck coins. Die cracks are progressive features that worsen with continued use, meaning that early die state examples of this variety may show no crack while later examples display an increasingly prominent crack. The Denver Mint struck 3,799,071,500 Lincoln cents in 1964, the highest single-facility total for the denomination and the last year that Denver cents bore the "D" mint mark before the 1965-67 suspension. Struck on a 95% copper and 5% tin-zinc planchet at 3.11 grams and 19mm diameter.

Die Markers

• Obverse: A die scratch runs southwest from the 1 in the date to the vest. Reverse: Die gouge between lower O and N in ONE. Die scratches inside NE in ONE. Die scratch connects upper C and E in CENT. Numerous die scratches north from upper left memorial. Die crack down the 12th memorial column.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References