1964 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-022

Description

One of the most numismatically significant 1964 Philadelphia doubled die obverse varieties, WDDO-022 combines strong working die doubling on the obverse with reverse doubling traceable to WMDR-001 — a doubled master die. This distinction is critical: while a standard doubled die affects only the coins struck from one particular working die, a doubled master die imparts its doubling to every working die produced from that master, potentially affecting thousands of dies and millions of coins. The obverse displays a strong counterclockwise spread from a pivot point at approximately 10:00, visible on IN GOD WE TRUST, the L and TY of LIBERTY, the date, the designer's initials, the lower part of the ear, and the hair on the back of Lincoln's head — a Class V pivoted hub doubling as designated by CONECA under cross-reference 21-O-V. On the reverse, slight doubling appears on USA and the circle of stars, both inherited from the doubled master die WMDR-001. The reverse also shows a flared G in the FG designer's initials as a die marker. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1964 50¢ Pr WDDO-022 and attributed by the Wexler Team, this variety is noteworthy for collectors because the obverse doubling (from a single working die) is unique to WDDO-022, while the reverse doubling (from the master die) may appear on other varieties that share working dies descended from the same master. The combination provides a valuable case study in the multi-level die manufacturing hierarchy that existed at the Philadelphia Mint. Struck 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.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: CONECA: 21-O-V
• CONECA: 21-O-V; Wexler Variety ID: 1964 50¢ Pr WDDO-022
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References