1996-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-011

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team with cross-references to Crawford CDDR-003, this doubled die reverse carries the designation 1996-D 1¢ WDDR-011 and was struck at the Denver Mint. The primary diagnostic is doubling visible on the center left side of the 7th Memorial column to the right of the statue within the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse. The obverse presents several die markers for attribution: a small die gouge to the right of the bottom of the R in TRUST and a short, vertical die gouge to the left of the bottom of the second T in TRUST. On the reverse, a die gouge is found above the right base of the Memorial, and three die gouges appear above the T in CENT. The 1996-D Lincoln Memorial cent was struck in the copper-plated zinc composition (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper plating), weighing 2.5 grams at 19 mm diameter. Denver produced over 6.6 billion cents in 1996, an extraordinarily high mintage that placed immense demands on die production and contributed to the creation of multiple doubled die varieties. The Crawford cross-reference as CDDR-003 provides an alternative cataloging pathway for collectors using the Crawford die variety reference system alongside the Wexler files. The doubling affecting the Memorial columns is a particularly interesting diagnostic because the fine architectural details of Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse are among the most intricate elements on any circulating U.S. coin, making even subtle doubling detectable under moderate magnification.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Joseph Koelling Cross References: Crawford: CDDR-003
• Crawford: CDDR-003; Wexler Variety ID: 1996-D 1¢ WDDR-011
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References