1966 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-008

Description

The second SMS doubled die obverse variety for the 1966 Lincoln cent, WDDO-008 was also found in a 1966 Special Mint Set and shares intriguing similarities with WDDO-007. Both varieties display a close spread to the left of the second T in TRUST, and the obverse die markers documented for WDDO-008 closely match those recorded for WDDO-007, suggesting the two varieties may share the same obverse die in different die stages or may have been produced from closely related dies in the manufacturing sequence. If they share the same obverse die, the differences between them would represent progressive die deterioration captured at different points in the die's service life — a phenomenon of significant interest to die variety researchers studying the evolution of individual dies through their production runs. Special Mint Sets of 1966 were produced at the Philadelphia Mint with only 2,261,583 sets manufactured, making SMS varieties considerably scarcer than those from the 2,188,147,783 business strike cents produced at Philadelphia. SMS coins were struck with elevated pressure to achieve the semi-proof finish intended to satisfy collector demand during the three-year suspension of traditional proof sets under the Coinage Act of 1965. These coins carry no mint mark despite their San Francisco manufacture, consistent with the 1965—1967 mint mark removal. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1966 1¢ WDDO-008 with the comment noting this variety is from a 1966 SMS set. Determining whether WDDO-007 and WDDO-008 share the same obverse die would require detailed comparison of their die markers at matching die stages. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc. Die Markers: Obverse: Two die gouges (dots) show below the first 6 and a die gouge (dot) shows inside the curve of the second 6 in the date. A die gouge (dot) shows above the E in LIBERTY. A die gouge (dot) shows to the left of the upper I in IN. Die gouges show south and southeast of the N in IN. A die gouge shows to the south of Lincoln’s eyelid. Reverse: A die gouge (dot) shows between the letters S and T in STATES. Diagonal die scratches show above OF. A die gouge and a short, connected die scratch show to the left of the left Memorial cornice. Light horizontal die scratches show in Memorial bays 1 and 2. Light almost horizontal die scratches show in upper Memorial bays 10 and 11. A die gouge shows on the right edge of the left vertical crossbar of the N in ONE.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Daniel Griffin Cross References: None known Comments: This variety is from a 1966 SMS set.
• None known Comments: This variety is from a 1966 SMS set.; Wexler Variety ID: 1966 1¢ WDDO-008
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References