1971 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-004

Description

Fourth in the sequence of doubled die reverses documented for the 1971 Philadelphia Mint Eisenhower Dollar, WDDR-004 was attributed by the Wexler Team and carries Wexler Variety ID 1971 $1 WDDR-004. Four distinct doubled die reverses from a single date represents a notable concentration of hubbing errors, particularly for a first-year issue where production procedures were still being refined. The Eisenhower Dollar debuted in 1971 as a large copper-nickel clad coin honoring the former president and supreme Allied commander, with Frank Gasparro's reverse depicting the Apollo 11 eagle descending to the lunar surface. The reverse design's fine detail — including the eagle's feathers, the olive branch, the Moon's surface texture, and the Earth visible in the background — created numerous areas where subtle doubling could manifest. Each DDR represents a separate die where the hub and die were misaligned between hubbing impressions, meaning at least four different reverse dies carried doubling into production during the 1971 Philadelphia run. The Eisenhower Dollar series would continue through 1978 before being replaced by the smaller Susan B. Anthony dollar, and the 1971 date remains one of the most studied for die varieties due to its significance as the series opener and its relatively large number of documented hubbing anomalies.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1971 $1 WDDR-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References