1958 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-004

Description

Fourth doubled die reverse for the 1958 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, WDDR-004 represents a die variety from the closing chapter of the wheat ears reverse design. The Wheat Cent's reverse, with its paired wheat stalks flanking ONE CENT and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, had been the standard since Victor David Brenner's original 1909 design, and 1958 marked its forty-ninth and final year of continuous production. Doubled die reverses from this terminal year are sought by specialists who recognize the design's imminent obsolescence as adding a layer of collecting significance. The hubbing process that created this doubled die involved multiple passes of a hardened hub into the softer working die, and a shift between passes left the die with doubled design features — doubled lettering, doubled wheat stalk details, or both. WDDR-004 preserves the specific doubling pattern from one such incident in the 1958 die production schedule. With Philadelphia's 1958 cent mintage at roughly 253 million pieces, die consumption was steady though modest compared to later Memorial Cent volumes. Attributed by the Wexler Team under Wexler Variety ID: 1958 1¢ WDDR-004, this variety complements the other three DDRs previously cataloged for the series' final year.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1958 1¢ WDDR-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References