2000 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-002

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 2000 1¢ WDDR-002, this Lincoln Memorial Cent is a replacement listing — the original WDDR-002 was assigned to a "wavy steps" variety that has been reclassified under updated attribution standards because wavy steps are no longer believed to represent genuine doubled die effects. The distinction between wavy steps and authentic hub doubling was refined through extensive study of the Lincoln Memorial reverse\'s staircase area, where the parallel horizontal lines proved susceptible to various surface anomalies that mimicked but did not originate from successive hub misalignment. The replacement listing preserves the catalog number while documenting a confirmed doubled die variety. No additional cross-references are currently known. The year 2000 marked the beginning of a new millennium and the 42nd year of Frank Gasparro\'s Lincoln Memorial reverse design, which had been in continuous use since replacing the wheat ears reverse in 1959. The architectural detail of the Memorial\'s stepped base, colonnade, and seated Lincoln statue provided a complex design landscape where even minor hub displacement could manifest as visible doubling on specific structural elements. The 2000 cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-plated zinc composition (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper), weighing 2.50 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. Victor David Brenner\'s Lincoln obverse portrait continued its service since 1909, making it the longest-running obverse design in U.S. coinage history. The replacement of wavy steps listings with confirmed doubled dies across multiple Memorial Cent dates represents a significant quality improvement in the variety catalog, ensuring that each entry documents a genuinely attributable hub doubling event.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jim Hair Cross References: None known Comments: This is a replacement listing. The original listing was a “wavy steps” variety and these are no longer believed to be doubled dies.
• None known Comments: This is a replacement listing. The original listing was a “wavy steps” variety and these are no longer believed to be doubled dies.; Wexler Variety ID: 2000 1¢ WDDR-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References