1997 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-010

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1997 1¢ WDDR-010, this doubled die reverse variety appears on a 1997 Lincoln Memorial cent struck at the Philadelphia Mint. The 1997 cent was produced in the copper-plated zinc composition, weighing 2.5 grams with a 19 mm diameter and a plain edge. Philadelphia struck approximately 4.6 billion cents in 1997, continuing the trend of massive annual production that characterized the 1990s. The primary doubling on WDDR-010 manifests on the lower right side of the sixth Memorial column to the left of the statue's legs in Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse design. Column-area doubling at the sixth column is a common diagnostic location for Memorial cent DDR varieties, as this column sits adjacent to the Daniel Chester French Lincoln statue, creating an area of design complexity where even slight hub displacement produces visible anomalies. Obverse die markers are unusually detailed for this variety: multiple die scratches run east to west through Lincoln's ear and neck, a feature pattern suggesting the die surface was subjected to polishing or abrasion at some point during its preparation or service life. Reverse die markers include two small die gouges at the bottom left of the second T in STATES, a die chip below and to the right of the I in UNITED, a die chip below and to the left of the N in ONE, and a die chip to the left of the upper N in ONE. This concentration of die chips around the reverse inscriptions is consistent with a die that had accumulated progressive surface damage during its production run. No cross-references to other attribution services have been established. The ten doubled die reverses cataloged for the 1997 date reflect the continuing discovery of hub doubling varieties on modern Lincoln cents, driven by active searching among the billions of coins produced annually.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Leonard Matyjasik (Updated photos on a coin from Daniel Griffin) Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1997 1¢ WDDR-010
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References