1986 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Attributed by the Wexler team and cross-referenced to CONECA 1-O-II-VI, WDDO-001 on the 1986 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent displays strong spread towards the center on the date and IN GOD WE TRUST. The CONECA class designation (II-VI) identifies this as a distorted hub doubling — a classification within the Wexler-Crawford system that describes the geometric relationship between the primary and secondary hub impressions. Two distinct die stages have been documented with extensive marker inventories. Stage A carries a die scratch running north from the top of the head below the D in GOD and a light die scratch running north from the upper left of the one in the date. By Stage B, the obverse has been heavily abraded with numerous die scratches both in front of and in back of the bust, two die scratches run southwest-to-northeast below the eight in the date, a long curving die scratch curves southeast from the lower I in LIBERTY, and die scratches run east-northeast from the lower lip. The reverse evolved in parallel: Stage A shows a die scratch running through the upper Es in STATES to the upper O in OF, while Stage B reveals heavy abrasion with numerous die scratches running through the lower Memorial bays, along with die cracks extending from both Memorial base tips to the rim — a sign of advancing die fatigue. Struck at Philadelphia (no mint mark) on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm, from the 1986 mintage of 4,491,395,493 cents.

Attribution History

• CONECA: 1-O-II-VI; Wexler Variety ID: 1986 1¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References