1972 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-017

Description

Distinguished by doubling that manifests as an extra horizontal bar above the horizontal bar of the L in LIBERTY rather than on the date, 1972 1¢ WDDO-017 presents a different visual signature from the majority of minor 1972 doubled dies that show their primary doubling on the "2" digit. This variety is cross-referenced as Coppercoins 1972P-1DO-018 and carries Wexler Variety ID 1972 1¢ WDDO-017. The Coppercoins cross-reference confirms that multiple attribution services have independently documented this die — a sign of its relative accessibility to collectors compared to some single-source varieties later in the WDDO sequence. Obverse die markers are prominent: a die gouge extends northwest from the upper left corner of the D of GOD to the rim; a die gouge can be found at the rim to the right of the bottom of the shoulder; and a die scratch runs north to south to the right of the upper part of the center fold in the vest. The reverse shows complementary diagnostics: a small die gouge just above the head of the statue inside the Memorial; a die crack on the Memorial roof north of the fourth Memorial bay; and a die gouge at the rim to the left of the left Memorial base. The die crack on the reverse roof indicates this particular die pair was in an intermediate state of deterioration when coins with this combination of markers were produced. The L-of-LIBERTY doubling location makes WDDO-017 one of the more visually interesting minor 1972 doubled dies, as collectors can observe the doubled bar without the difficulty of interpreting overlapping features in the date area.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bill Wilson Cross References: Coppercoins: 1972P-1DO-018
• Coppercoins: 1972P-1DO-018; Wexler Variety ID: 1972 1¢ WDDO-017
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References