2015 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-007

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 2015 1¢ WDDR-007, this doubled die reverse variety on a 2015 Lincoln Shield cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint. The coin was produced in copper-plated zinc, weighing 2.5 grams with a 19 mm diameter, featuring the union shield reverse designed by Lyndall Bass that was introduced in 2010 to replace the Lincoln Memorial design. The primary doubling manifests as light extra thickness on the designer's initials LB, located near the lower right area of the shield design. While this is a subtle variety, the specific location on the designer's initials provides a focused pickup point for attribution. The obverse die markers include a small die gouge between the I and B in LIBERTY, along with a die crack running north-northwest from the eyebrow through the forehead, the latter indicating progressive die deterioration. The reverse die carries more extensive deterioration markers: a die crack runs across the top left of the shield with large die chips north of the P, the U, and the R in PLURIBUS, and a short die crack runs west-southwest from the bottom of the E in CENT. These significant reverse die cracks and chips suggest the die was in a relatively advanced state of deterioration, which is consistent with the die crack observed on the obverse. Philadelphia produced approximately 4.7 billion cents in 2015, consuming large numbers of die pairs over the course of the year. The shield reverse design, with its horizontal and vertical lines creating a detailed pattern, is produced under considerable striking pressure that can accelerate die failure, and the multiple die cracks and chips documented on this variety illustrate the stresses these dies endure during high-speed production.

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Fines Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2015 1¢ WDDR-007
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References