1972 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-004

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as WDDR-004, this 1972 Eisenhower Dollar exhibits a Class I clockwise (CW) spread across multiple reverse design elements including USA, the stars, ONE DOLLAR, the olive branch and leaves, the lunar craters, designer Frank Gasparro's initials, and slightly on E PLURIBUS UNUM. Cross-referenced as CONECA 1-R-I, this coin was struck at the Philadelphia Mint and weighs 22.68 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter, composed of the copper-nickel clad composition used for circulation-strike Eisenhower Dollars. The obverse carries master die doubling, a subtle form of doubling that appears on all coins from this master die rather than being specific to a single working die. The Type A reverse features important die markers: a strong die scratch running from northeast to southwest through the G in FG (the designer's initials) extending to the crater below, plus a short die scratch running west-northwest from the upper left R in DOLLAR. The Eisenhower Dollar series (1971-1978) was the last large-format dollar coin produced for general circulation, featuring Dennis R. Williams's portrait of President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the obverse and a reverse inspired by the Apollo 11 mission patch showing an eagle landing on the moon. The Class I rotational doubling on this variety is the most common doubled die class but can produce dramatic visual effects when the spread is sufficient, as it is here across the numerous stars and lettering elements of the lunar reverse design.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Thomas Kalantzis Cross References: CONECA: 1-R-I
• CONECA: 1-R-I; Wexler Variety ID: 1972 $1 WDDR-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References