1996 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-007

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 1996 1¢ WDDR-007 and cross-referenced as Crawford CDDR-005, this doubled die reverse variety appears on a 1996 Lincoln Memorial cent struck at the Philadelphia Mint. The coin was produced in the copper-plated zinc composition standard since 1982, weighing 2.5 grams with a 19 mm diameter. The primary doubling diagnostic manifests as a partial extra Memorial column visible in the eighth bay of the Lincoln Memorial, a distinctive feature that results from hub misalignment during die preparation transferring a ghost image of an adjacent column into the bay area. This type of architectural doubling on Memorial cents is highly sought by variety specialists because it creates a visible and dramatic alteration to the familiar reverse design. Obverse die markers include a die gouge between the lower R and T in LIBERTY and a small die gouge below the second 9 in the date. Reverse die markers are more numerous: a die gouge between the lower U and N in UNITED, a die gouge inside the lower N of UNITED, and a die gouge to the left of the lower C in CENT. The dual cross-referencing in both the Wexler and Crawford numbering systems indicates this variety has been independently confirmed by multiple attribution services. Philadelphia produced approximately 6.6 billion cents in 1996, requiring thousands of die pairs over the course of the production year. Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse, with its twelve columns, multiple bays, and seated Lincoln statue, contains complex architectural detail that readily reveals hub doubling when it occurs, and the extra column effect in the eighth bay on WDDR-007 represents one of the more visually appealing manifestations of this phenomenon.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Joseph Koelling Cross References: Crawford: CDDR-005
• Crawford: CDDR-005; Wexler Variety ID: 1996 1¢ WDDR-007
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References