1976 Variety WMDO-001

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team under the designation WMDO-001, this master die doubling obverse on the 1976 Eisenhower Dollar represents a Class II hub doubling variety impressed into the master die itself — meaning every working die produced from that master carried the doubling, and the variety can appear across coins struck from multiple die pairs throughout the production run. The doubling manifests as a spread towards the center visible on the date digits, a directional pattern consistent with Class II distorted hub mechanics where the hub shifts or tilts between successive impressions during the sinking process. Cross-referenced as CONECA MD-1-O-II, this variety occupies a distinctive niche within the Bicentennial coinage program. The 1976 Eisenhower Dollar featured Dennis R. Williams's special reverse depicting the Liberty Bell superimposed on the Moon — a design used only during the Bicentennial celebration spanning 1975-1976 production. All Bicentennial dollars carried the dual date "1776-1976" regardless of actual production year, and master die doubling on these coins affects the dual date inscription. Because master die doubling originates at the master die level rather than individual working dies, the die markers will vary across different working dies derived from the same master, making attribution dependent on the doubling characteristics themselves rather than secondary die markers. This variety provides collectors with an accessible example of how the hierarchical die production process — from master hub to master die to working hub to working die — can introduce doubling at the highest level of the chain, propagating the error across an entire production family.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Not noted Cross References: CONECA: MD-1-O-II
• CONECA: MD-1-O-II; Wexler Variety ID: 1976 $1 WMDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References