1996 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1996 1¢ WDDO-001, this Lincoln Memorial Cent presents a multi-element doubled die obverse with a spread towards the rim on LIBERTY, GOD, and the 19 in the date, combined with extra thickness on the remaining letters of IN GOD WE TRUST, the upper hair details, and the 96 in the date. This two-tier spread pattern — where some elements show clear outward displacement while others exhibit only thickening — indicates that the hub displacement vector created varying magnitudes of separation depending on each element's position and orientation relative to the displacement axis. No obverse die markers were noted, but the reverse provides multiple attribution points: light die gouges between the first T in STATES and the E in EPU (E PLURIBUS UNUM), a short die gouge at the bottom of the last Memorial bay (the rightmost opening in the colonnade), and a small die gouge dot to the right of the T in CENT. No cross-references to CONECA or other systems are currently known. The Lincoln Memorial Cent was designed by Victor David Brenner for the obverse and Frank Gasparro for the reverse, struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1996 in copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.50 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. As WDDO-001, this variety holds the primary catalog position for 1996 Lincoln Cent doubled die obverses in the Wexler system — the top designation typically reserved for the strongest or most significant variety within a date. The split between rim-ward spread on some elements and mere thickening on others makes this variety instructive for understanding how hub displacement vectors create position-dependent doubling effects across the die face.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jennifer Casazza Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1996 1¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References