2008-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-006

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team and cross-referenced as Coppercoins 2008D-1DR-003 and CONECA 1-R-VIII with Wexler Variety ID 2008-D 1c WDDR-006, this doubled die reverse on the 2008-D Lincoln Memorial Cent shows doubling on the lower left side of the 7th column to the right of the statue's legs and left hand inside Frank Gasparro's Memorial design. The obverse die marker is a small die gouge to the left of the top of the eight in the date, while the reverse shows a small die gouge south of the right Memorial base. The CONECA classification 1-R-VIII identifies this as a Class VIII modified hub doubling variety, a category that encompasses doubling created by late-stage hub modifications or design changes rather than simple positional misalignment between hub and die. The 2008-D holds special significance as the final year of the Lincoln Memorial reverse design — the Memorial design was replaced in 2009 by four rotating Bicentennial reverses commemorating Lincoln's 200th birthday, making 2008 the last opportunity for Memorial Cent doubled die varieties to occur. Struck at the Denver Mint in copper-plated zinc at 2.50 grams with a 19.0 mm diameter, the 2008-D cent represents the end of a 49-year design era that began when Gasparro's Memorial reverse replaced Victor David Brenner's wheat ears in 1959. The triple cross-referencing across Coppercoins, CONECA, and Wexler systems indicates thorough documentation. The column doubling near the statue creates a ghostly secondary architectural element that is best examined under 7x magnification, using the die gouge south of the right Memorial base as the die identification starting point.

Attribution History

• Discovered by David Mulberry Cross References: Coppercoins: 2008D-1DR-003, CONECA: 1-R-VIII
• Coppercoins: 2008D-1DR-003, CONECA: 1-R-VIII; Wexler Variety ID: 2008-D 1¢ WDDR-006
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References