1967 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Discovered in a 1967 Special Mint Set, this SMS variant of WDDO-001 represents the same doubled die obverse variety found on a coin struck under the enhanced conditions of Special Mint Set production. The 1967 SMS was the final year of the three-year SMS program that had replaced traditional proof sets under the Coinage Act of 1965, and only 1,863,344 sets were produced — the smallest SMS mintage of the three-year run, and a fraction of the 3,048,667,100 business strike cents manufactured that year. SMS coins were struck at the San Francisco Mint using polished dies and higher striking pressures than business strikes, producing surfaces with enhanced luster and sharper detail that falls between business strike and proof quality. The identification of WDDO-001 on an SMS coin is significant because it confirms that the doubled die was present in the hub used to prepare San Francisco's SMS dies, not just in the hub used for Philadelphia's business strike dies. Cross-referenced as CONECA 1-O-V, confirming the doubling as a Class V pivoted variety — the first-listed obverse variety for the 1967 cent. Additionally cataloged under Wexler Variety ID: 1967 1¢ WDDO-001 and attributed by the Wexler Team. Because 1967 was the final no-mint-mark year, this SMS coin carries no S mint mark despite its San Francisco origin — a characteristic shared by all 1965—1967 SMS issues. Mint marks returned to all U.S. coins in 1968. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Gary Wagnon Cross References: CONECA: 1-O-V Comments: This variety was found in a 1967 Special Mint Set.
• CONECA: 1-O-V Comments: This variety was found in a 1967 Special Mint Set.; Wexler Variety ID: 1967 1¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References