1857 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-007

Description

Class I clockwise spread doubling is visible on the letters USA and the eagle's beak and eye on this 1857 Flying Eagle Cent, one of only three dates in the short-lived series struck from 1856 to 1858. Class I doubled dies result from the hub and die rotating slightly between successive impressions during the hubbing process, producing a rotational spread that shifts design elements in a clockwise or counterclockwise arc. On WDDO-007, the clockwise displacement is most evident on the USA inscription and the fine details of the eagle's facial features, where even a slight rotational shift creates detectable separation. This variety is extensively cross-referenced across major attribution systems: Snow catalogs it as S12, CONECA lists it as DDO-013, and Flynn assigns it DDO-008, while the Wexler Variety ID is 1857 1c WDDO-007. The convergence of four independent attributions underscores its recognition across the die variety research community. The Flying Eagle Cent represented James B. Longacre's small cent design that replaced the cumbersome large copper cent, and its brief three-year production window means that any die variety from this series carries heightened numismatic interest. No specific die markers have been noted on either the obverse or reverse, making attribution dependent on the doubling characteristics themselves.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Not noted Cross References: Snow: S12; CONECA: DDO-013; Flynn: DDO-007
• Snow: S12; CONECA: DDO-013; Flynn: DDO-007; Wexler Variety ID: 1857 1¢ WDDO-007
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References