1972 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-026

Description

The final entry in the Wexler doubled die obverse catalog for the 1972 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent, WDDO-026 represents the culmination of a systematic attribution effort that documented twenty-six distinct doubled working dies produced during one of the most remarkable hub doubling episodes in American numismatic history. While the specific doubling class and spread direction for WDDO-026 follow the established patterns of the 1972 doubled die family — clockwise or counterclockwise hub rotation producing visible doubling on date or letter elements — this variety completes the known census of working dies that received doubled impressions from the 1972-dated hubs at the Philadelphia Mint. No cross-references to other attribution services have been documented (Wexler Variety ID: 1972 1¢ WDDO-026). The existence of twenty-six documented doubled die obverses from a single year and mint — separate from the master die doubling that affected the majority of all 1972 cents — stands as a testament to the production difficulties experienced at the Philadelphia Mint during 1972. The hubbing equipment clearly suffered from persistent alignment problems throughout the production season, creating doubled working dies at a rate far exceeding normal expectations. Each WDDO in the sequence represents a unique working die that carried its own doubled impression into the production press, striking some quantity of circulation coins before eventually being retired. WDDO-026, as the last-numbered entry, was likely among the later attributions in the catalog — a variety discovered after the more prominent doubled dies had already been documented and collected.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Dr. Daniel Griffin Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1972 1¢ WDDO-026
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References