1998 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-030

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as WDDR-030 for the 1998 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent, this doubled die reverse shows doubling on the lower right pillar and the lower right Memorial steps — design elements within Frank Gasparro's detailed Lincoln Memorial reverse that served the denomination from 1959 through 2008. The thirtieth cataloged reverse doubled die for this single date underscores how productive 1998-P cent dies were for generating hub doubling varieties, a consequence of the massive production volumes that consumed hundreds of die pairs annually. Obverse die markers include a small die gouge at the top left corner of the B in LIBERTY, while the reverse carries a small die gouge above the right end of the horizontal crossbar of the T in CENT — both serving as critical attribution points that distinguish this specific die pair from the twenty-nine other documented reverse doubled dies for the date. No cross-references to CONECA or Cherrypickers listings are currently known, placing WDDR-030 among the varieties documented exclusively through Wexler's comprehensive cataloging effort. Hub doubling on the Memorial reverse columns and steps occurs when successive hub impressions shift slightly during the die sinking process, and the architectural detail of the Memorial design — with its twelve columns and stepped base — provides numerous reference points where even minor displacement becomes visible under magnification. The 1998 cent represents late-era Memorial Cent production, a period when Philadelphia's high-speed coining presses were operating at peak efficiency, generating the volume of dies necessary to produce the variety depth documented here.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Stephen Young Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1998 1¢ WDDR-030
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References