1976-S Variety WMDO-001

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as WMDO-001, this 1976-S Bicentennial Dollar exhibits Class II master die doubling towards the center that manifests on the dates. Master die doubling differs fundamentally from working die doubling: it originates during the creation of the master die itself, meaning every working die produced from that master carries the same doubling — unlike working die doubled dies, which are unique to a single die. Class II doubling, also called distorted hub doubling, results from the hub being tilted or shifted during the hubbing process, producing a spread that converges toward or diverges from a pivot point. On this Bicentennial dollar, the doubling is visible on the dual date "1776-1976" that appears on all Bicentennial coinage. Cross-referenced as CONECA MD-1-O-II, this variety carries dual attribution under both the Wexler and CONECA classification systems. Die markers will vary across different working dies since the doubling is inherited from the master die rather than being specific to one working die — a key diagnostic distinction from standard DDO varieties. The 1976-S proof Eisenhower Dollar was struck at the San Francisco Mint as part of three-piece proof sets celebrating America's 200th anniversary. Dennis R. Williams designed the special reverse featuring the Liberty Bell superimposed on the Moon, replacing the standard Heraldic Eagle. This WMDO-001 variety demonstrates that the master die production process for the Bicentennial series introduced doubling that propagated through the entire die family tree, affecting potentially large numbers of struck coins across multiple die pairs.

Attribution History

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

External References