2005-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Holding the primary reverse doubled die designation for the 2005-D Lincoln Memorial cent, WDDR-001 exhibits doubling that appears as extra steps on the Lincoln Memorial facade, with the widened impression spreading northward and passing through the lower legs of the seated Lincoln statue. Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse, which served from 1959 through 2008, features the detailed architectural facade of the memorial with the seated Lincoln figure visible through the central opening — and the stepped base of the memorial provides one of the most reliable diagnostic areas for detecting hub doubling, as the horizontal step lines amplify even slight vertical displacement. The obverse die markers offer precise confirmation diagnostics: a small die gouge shaped like a dot appears below the numeral 5 in the date, providing a distinctive identification checkpoint. The reverse carries its own marker: a die gouge at the rim above the N in UNITED, positioned along the peripheral inscription where it is readily locatable. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 2005-D 1¢ WDDR-001, with no other attribution system listings currently known. Denver struck approximately 3.76 billion cents in 2005, an extraordinary production volume that consumed thousands of working dies during the year. As WDDR-001, this represents the premier and presumably most notable reverse doubled die documented for the 2005-D cent, and its diagnostic combination of extra memorial steps with northward spread through the statue's lower legs creates a visually distinctive variety. Collectors should examine the memorial steps under 10-15x magnification, looking for the widened, northward-displaced secondary step impressions, then confirm the die by locating the small dot gouge below the 5 in the date.

Attribution History

• Discovered by William Slaughter Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2005-D 1¢ WDDR-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References