1909 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-008

Description

Eighth cataloged doubled die reverse for the inaugural year of the Lincoln Cent, the 1909 DDR-008 exhibits light extra thickness on E PLURIBUS UNUM, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and both wheat stems on the reverse. The 1909 Lincoln Cent represents one of the most historically significant dates in American numismatics — it was the first circulating U.S. coin to bear the portrait of an actual historical person, breaking with the longstanding tradition of idealized Liberty figures. Victor David Brenner's wheat ears reverse would serve the denomination for nearly fifty years until its replacement in 1959. The VarietyVista catalog assigns UVC-2566 and DMR-015, with Stage A unconfirmed (Early Die State). Stage B is documented at Mid Die State with a horizontal die scratch from the middle of the N to the T of CENT on the reverse and obverse at MDS. Stage C remains unconfirmed. Importantly, the comments note this uses RDV-003 (No V.D.B.) — the reverse die variety without Brenner's initials, which were removed after public controversy over their prominent placement at the base of the reverse shortly after the coin's August 1909 release. The V.D.B. initials were restored to the obverse in 1918 in a much smaller format below Lincoln's shoulder. Eight doubled die reverses on the 1909 No V.D.B. cent demonstrates that even the earliest Lincoln Cent dies — produced during the design's inaugural production run — experienced the hub doubling events that would be documented across every subsequent decade of the series.

Die Markers

• UVC-2566
• DMR-015
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Horizontal die scratch from middle of N to T of CENT – MDS
• Obverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Gil Medina
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References