1917-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Holding the primary reverse doubled die designation for the 1917-D Lincoln wheat cent, WDDR-001 exhibits moderate extra thickness on E PLURIBUS UNUM and both wheat ears and stems on the reverse designed by Victor David Brenner. The Wexler Team documented a distinctive obverse die marker: a die scratch running from the top of the G in GOD out to the rim, providing an independent diagnostic for identifying the correct die before evaluating the reverse doubling. No significant reverse die markers beyond the doubling itself were recorded. Denver struck approximately 55.12 million cents in 1917, a World War I-era production year when copper conservation was becoming a consideration but had not yet reached the emergency measures that would characterize World War II coinage. As WDDR-001, this represents the first and presumably most significant reverse doubled die documented for the 1917-D date, establishing the benchmark variety for reverse hub doubling on this issue. The moderate extra thickness designation — falling between light and strong in the doubling magnitude hierarchy — indicates the displacement is clearly visible under moderate magnification without requiring the extremely close inspection that light varieties demand. The spread across E PLURIBUS UNUM and both wheat ears provides a distributed diagnostic that collectors can verify at multiple points on the reverse, reducing the risk of false attribution based on a single ambiguous feature. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1917-D 1¢ WDDR-001, with no additional attribution system listings currently known. The obverse die scratch from G to the rim should serve as the initial identification step, as locating this die-specific marker confirms the specimen warrants reverse examination for the documented doubling on the motto and wheat stalks.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Dr. Daniel Griffin Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1917-D 1¢ WDDR-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References