1987 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-004

Description

Completing the four-variety Wexler doubled die obverse census for the 1987 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent, WDDO-004 (Wexler Variety ID 1987 1¢ WDDO-004) presents extra thickness on the date and IN GOD WE TRUST without the separation lines or notching documented on WDDO-002 and WDDO-003. This places WDDO-004 at the milder end of the Wexler census for the date — the hub shift was sufficient to thicken the affected design elements beyond their normal relief but not large enough to resolve into visibly separated double images. Attribution relies on die markers rather than the subtlety of the doubling itself: a die gouge between the 8 and 7 in the date provides an obverse diagnostic located directly within the zone where the extra thickness is most apparent, allowing examiners to simultaneously confirm both the doubling and the die identity in a single field of view. The reverse is noted as having no significant markers, which means the obverse die gouge between the date digits carries the full burden of die identification. No cross-references to other attribution systems are currently known. Four Wexler doubled die obverses from the 1987 Philadelphia production run — spanning spread-toward-center, extra thickness with separation lines in both rimward and unspecified directions, and plain extra thickness — document the range of hub-shift magnitudes and vectors that occurred across the die shop's output for this date. Struck at Philadelphia (no mint mark) on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by David Curfman Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1987 1¢ WDDO-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References