1972 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-019

Description

Among the most diagnostically significant of the minor 1972 doubled dies, WDDO-019 is notable because it does NOT show the master die doubling known for the 1972 date on LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST. This absence is critically important: it identifies WDDO-019 as one of the rare working dies that descended from the original (first) 1972 master die rather than the replacement master die that was produced after the original failed in approximately April or May 1972 and introduced the ubiquitous master die doubling found on 60–70% of all 1972 cents. The working die doubling itself presents as a clockwise spread showing an extra horizontal bar of the "2" in the date just above the normal horizontal bar — similar in appearance to many other minor 1972 WDDOs, but produced by a fundamentally different lineage within the die manufacturing tree. No cross-references have been documented (Wexler Variety ID: 1972 1¢ WDDO-019). The sole documented obverse die marker is a small die gouge found to the right of the top of the S in TRUST. For the reverse, the attribution notes indicate that a better-grade coin is needed to determine if there are any significant reverse die markers — an honest acknowledgment that the available specimens at the time of documentation were too worn to reveal reverse diagnostics. This variety is of particular interest to numismatic researchers studying the timeline of die production at the Philadelphia Mint in 1972, as it provides direct physical evidence of doubled working dies created before the master die failure that reshaped the entire year's production.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Allen Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1972 1¢ WDDO-019
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References