1997-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-027

Description

A bar of raised metal extends from the bottom of the hand down to the upper leg on the right side of the Lincoln statue, centered on the seventh column of the Memorial reverse -- the hallmark diagnostic of WDDR-027 for the 1997-D Lincoln cent. Attributed by the Wexler Team under the designation 1997-D 1¢ WDDR-027, this doubled die reverse variety results from hub misalignment that duplicated structural elements within the Memorial's interior, creating what appears as an extra architectural feature connecting the statue to the column framework. Obverse die markers include two die chips positioned west of Lincoln's shoulder, providing a secondary confirmation point that distinguishes this specific obverse die from others paired with different DDR reverses. On the reverse, a die scratch extends from the rim above the first T in STATES, running through the bottom left of the N in UNUM, and a die chip sits below the left memorial base. No additional cross-references in the CONECA or Fivaz-Stanton catalogs have been recorded. The Denver Mint struck 4.576 billion cents in 1997, an enormous production run that nonetheless yielded only a modest number of coins from this particular die pair before normal rotation retired the dies. Frank Gasparro's Memorial reverse, with its twelve columns and interior statue detail, remains one of the most productive designs for doubled die discoveries in all of U.S. numismatics, and WDDR-027 exemplifies how even interior sculptural elements can reveal hub misalignment under careful examination.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Daniel Griffin Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1997-D 1¢ WDDR-027
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References