1964 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-026

Description

Sharing an identical set of reverse die markers with WDDO-025, the 1964 WDDO-026 presents compelling evidence that these two varieties were paired with the same reverse die — a common occurrence in U.S. Mint production where reverse dies often outlasted their obverse counterparts and were paired with successive obverse dies. The shared reverse markers include a small die gouge dot touching the underside of the left tip of the crossbar of T of UNITED, a die scratch running from the upper A east-southeast to the second T of STATES, multiple parallel die scratches running west-northwest to east-southeast through STATES OF and E PLURIBUS UNUM, two die gouge dots inside the third Memorial bay, mostly vertical die scratches inside the first and last two Memorial bays, a die scratch running above the right side of the O of ONE, and a small die gouge dot under the right side of the crossbar of T of CENT. On the obverse, the die markers also match the first set documented for WDDO-025: a horizontal die scratch under the chin, a northwest-to-southeast die scratch just right of the chin, and an inverted "V" shaped die scratch near the center of the neck. Despite the shared markers, the doubling pattern on the obverse distinguishes WDDO-026 as a separate variety from WDDO-025, because the doubled die characteristics were created during die manufacture, before the die was paired with a reverse. This die marriage connection illustrates why thorough die marker documentation is invaluable to variety research. Struck at Philadelphia from the 1964 output of 2,648,575,000 business strikes on a 3.11-gram, 19mm bronze planchet of 95% copper and 5% tin-zinc.

Die Markers

• Obverse: A horizontal die scratch shows under the chin. A NW to SE die scratch shows just to the right of the chin. An inverted “V” shaped die scratch shows near the center of the neck. Reverse: A small die gouge (dot) touches the underside of the left tip of the crossbar of T of UNITED. A die scratch runs from the upper A ESE to the second T of STATES. Multiple parallel die scratches run WNW/ESE through STATES OF and E PLURIBUS UNUM. Two die gouges (dots) are present inside the third Memorial bay. Mostly vertical die scratches run inside the first and last two Memorial bays. A die scratch runs WNW/ESE above the right side of the O of ONE. A small die gouge (dot) can be found under the right side of the crossbar of T of CENT.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References