1957 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-010

Description

Tenth in the Wexler-cataloged reverse doubled die census for the 1957 Lincoln wheat cent, WDDR-010 displays a spread towards the center on E PLURIBUS UNUM, the separator dots, and the upper wheat ear — with the spread decreasing as the eye moves from left to right across the affected elements. This diminishing spread gradient across the inscription reveals the geometric nature of the hub misalignment: elements closer to the pivot point of the angular displacement between hub impressions show less separation than those farther away. The wheat reverse designed by Victor David Brenner features two stalks of wheat flanking the central inscription ONE CENT / UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, with E PLURIBUS UNUM arching above — a composition that provides multiple fine-detail elements for detecting hub doubling. Philadelphia struck approximately 283.0 million cents in 1957, the penultimate full year of wheat reverse production before the design change to Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse in 1959. Obverse die markers include an irregular die scratch running along the center of the base of Lincoln's bust — a diagnostic that fingerprints this specific working die pair and provides an attribution checkpoint independent of the reverse doubling itself. No significant reverse die markers beyond the doubling were recorded. The Wexler Team cataloged this as Wexler Variety ID: 1957 1-cent Pr WDDR-010, with the "Pr" designation indicating this variety occurs on proof strikings produced at Philadelphia for collector sets. Proof die preparation, which involves polishing the dies to a mirror finish, may have influenced the visibility of the centered spread by creating highly reflective surfaces against which even subtle displacement becomes apparent.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1957 1¢ Pr WDDR-010
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References