1971-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-015

Description

Collector interest in the 1971-S Proof Silver Eisenhower Dollar has sustained decades of die variety research, producing an extensive catalog that includes this WDDO-015 doubled die obverse. As the first year of the Eisenhower Dollar program, the 1971-S silver proof carried enormous anticipation among collectors who had waited since 1935 for a new dollar coin. The San Francisco Mint produced these proofs using specially prepared dies and polished planchets, a process that paradoxically made doubled dies easier to detect due to the mirror-like fields that highlight even subtle die anomalies. Chief Engraver Frank Gasparro designed both sides of the coin, placing Eisenhower's portrait on the obverse and the Apollo 11 eagle on the reverse in tribute to defining moments of the 1960s. The WDDO sequence extending to at least number 018 demonstrates how thoroughly specialists have examined surviving dies from this production run. This variety is cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1971-S $1 Pr WDDO-015. Proper attribution involves isolating the specific doubling signature that distinguishes this die from its neighbors in the catalog sequence.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1971-S $1 Pr WDDO-015
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References