1947 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Holding the primary Wexler doubled die reverse designation for the 1947 Roosevelt dime, WDDR-001 displays extra thickness on the upper letters of USA and the lower letters of ONE DIME, with the strongest spread concentrated at the top of the reverse. John R. Sinnock designed the Roosevelt dime, introduced in 1947 as the second year of the type following its 1946 debut honoring President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had championed the March of Dimes campaign in his fight against polio. The reverse features a torch flanked by olive and oak branches — an arrangement symbolizing liberty, peace, and strength — with the inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and ONE DIME distributed around the periphery. As WDDR-001, this represents the first and most notable reverse doubled die cataloged for the 1947 dime, a distinction that typically indicates either the strongest doubling or the earliest discovery for the date. The graduated spread pattern — strongest at the top, diminishing downward — suggests a hub doubling mechanism where the displacement was centered near the top of the reverse die, consistent with a pivot point or tilt axis positioned near the lower portion of the die face. No significant obverse die markers were documented, but the reverse carries a distinctive die gouge protruding from the rim northeast of the second S in STATES, providing a reliable fingerprint for confirming the correct working die. Philadelphia struck approximately 121.9 million Roosevelt dimes in 1947, only the second year of the type's production. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1947 10c WDDR-001 with no other known attributions, collectors should examine the upper USA letters and lower ONE DIME inscription under 15-20x magnification, where the extra thickness is most pronounced at the reverse's apex.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1947 10¢ WDDR-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References