1909 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-010

Description

Extra thickness on E PLURIBUS UNUM and both wheat tips characterizes this tenth documented doubled die reverse for the inaugural 1909 Lincoln Wheat Cent, cataloged by VarietyVista with die marker codes UVC-3133 and DMR-019. The die stage progression is well documented: Stage A shows the reverse in Early Die State with a die crack developing from Lincoln's head to the rim east of WE, progressing to Late Die State with a die crack extending from the shoulder to the rim and light die clashing visible in front of the 1 in the date. Stages B and C remain unconfirmed. The reverse die variant is classified as RDV-003 (No V.D.B.), placing it among the dies prepared after Victor David Brenner's controversial initials were removed from the reverse in August 1909. The distinction between VDB and no-VDB reverse dies is one of the most significant die variations in all of American numismatics, and DDR-010 falls on the non-VDB side of that divide. Ten doubled die reverses for the 1909 date — the first year of the most enduring portrait coin design in U.S. history — reflects the intense scrutiny this date has received over more than a century of numismatic study. The progressive die state documentation from EDS through LDS provides researchers with a timeline of the die's deterioration during its production life at the Philadelphia Mint.

Die Markers

• UVC-3133
• DMR-019
• Stage A:
• Reverse is EDS
• Die crack head to rim East of WE – LDS
• Die crack shoulder to rim
• Light die clash in front of the 1 of the date
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Daniel Griffin
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References