1953-S Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

The 1953-S WDDR-001 is a doubled die reverse variety on the San Francisco Mint Roosevelt Dime, attributed by John A. Wexler. The reverse displays a Class VI spread toward the center on the upper letters of USA and the lower letters of ONE DIME. Class VI doubling — distorted hub doubling — occurs when the hub or die deforms slightly between impressions, producing a spread that radiates from a central point rather than showing the uniform directional shift of rotational or pivot-point classes. The involvement of both upper and lower reverse legend in a center-directed spread confirms the distorted-hub mechanism. Obverse die markers include a small die gouge left of the nose tip and another below the second T in TRUST. On the reverse, a strong southwest-to-northeast die scratch runs through the lower D in UNITED. These markers allow attribution even on coins where the Class VI spread might be difficult to detect due to wear. The 1953-S Roosevelt Dime was struck during the silver composition era, giving this variety additional appeal to collectors who value precious metal content alongside die variety provenance.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Frank Baumann Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1953-S 10¢ WDDR-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References