1987 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Cataloged as Wexler Variety ID 1987 1¢ WDDO-003, this Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent doubled die obverse shows extra thickness with separation lines spread towards the rim on the date and IN GOD WE TRUST. The outward-toward-rim spread direction contrasts with WDDO-001's inward-toward-center displacement, documenting the opposite hub-shift vector from a different die manufacturing event. Separation lines spreading rimward place the secondary image outside the primary, creating visible shelves on the outer edges of affected letters and digits. Beyond the doubled die characteristics, this variety carries a distinctive set of die markers that facilitate identification even when the doubling itself is subtle. Four heavy die scratches run east-southeast from the bowtie — a bold obverse landmark that is immediately visible under low magnification. Three strong vertical die scratches appear to the left of Lincoln's lips, adding a second cluster of surface diagnostics on the portrait itself. The reverse contributes a die gouge positioned between the bottoms of the E in ONE and the C in CENT, placing the marker in a narrow interstitial zone that makes it a precise geographic reference. No cross-references to other attribution systems are currently known for this variety. 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 1987 mintage of 4,682,466,931 cents.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Conway Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1987 1¢ WDDO-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References