2003 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-021

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista under UVC-3227 and DMR-024, this 2003 Lincoln Memorial Cent DDR-021 displays medium spread west manifesting as an extra thin column #7 visible from the knee to the pedestal within the Lincoln Memorial's colonnade — a distinctive doubled die feature where the westward hub displacement created a phantom architectural element parallel to the existing seventh column. Four die stages are documented: Stage A is early die state (EDS, unconfirmed); Stage B shows a die crack running northeast from upper column #4 into the frieze, with both obverse and reverse in early-mid die state (EMDS); Stage C is mid-die-state (MDS, unconfirmed); and Stage D is late die state (LDS, unconfirmed). The progression from the clean Stage A through the cracked Stage B documents the development of structural failure in the die during its production run. Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse design, with its twelve individual columns, seated Lincoln statue, and detailed architectural elements, creates particularly interesting doubled die manifestations because the columned structure provides parallel reference lines against which any extra column or displaced element is immediately recognizable. The Lincoln Memorial Cent in 2003 was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-plated zinc composition (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.5 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm. Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait continued from the original 1909 design. The extra thin column #7 phenomenon — where doubling creates what appears to be an additional column within the Memorial's colonnade — is one of the most visually accessible doubled die types on Memorial Cents, as collectors can identify it by simply counting or examining the column spacing without specialized equipment.

Die Markers

• UVC-3227
• DMR-024
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die crack Northeast form upper column # 4 into frieze – EMDS
• Obverse is EMDS
• Stage C:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage D:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References