1978-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 1978-D 1¢ WDDO-001 and cross-referenced as Coppercoins 1978D-1DO-001, this doubled die obverse variety from the Denver Mint displays pronounced extra thickness on IN GOD WE TRUST, with the strongest spread concentrated on WE TRUST. The R of TRUST shows a distinctive notched lower right leg — a feature that serves as a quick visual checkpoint for collectors screening potential specimens. Doubled die obverse varieties are created during the die manufacturing process when successive hub impressions are not perfectly registered, impressing a subtly shifted duplicate of the design into the working die. Every coin struck from that die then carries the same doubled image, making these varieties true die varieties rather than striking errors. Specific die markers confirm the attribution on both sides of the coin: on the obverse, a short vertical die gouge can be found between the lower U and S in TRUST, providing a precise diagnostic that distinguishes this die from all others. On the reverse, a die gouge appearing as a small dot is positioned between the last S in STATES and the O in OF. These markers, combined with the doubling characteristics on the obverse legends, create an unambiguous identification profile. Denver's 1978 cent production of approximately 4.28 billion pieces consumed a vast number of die pairs, and WDDO-001 represents one die in that enormous inventory that carried a manufacturing defect from the hubbing process. Attribution by the Wexler Team.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jennifer Casazza Cross References: Coppercoins: 1978D-1DO-001
• Coppercoins: 1978D-1DO-001; Wexler Variety ID: 1978-D 1¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References