1958 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-006

Description

Attributed as the sixth doubled die reverse for the 1958 Lincoln Wheat Cent, this variety was documented by the Wexler Team with the designation 1958 1c WDDR-006. The 1958 date holds singular importance in Lincoln Cent history as the final year of the wheat ears reverse — Victor David Brenner's original 1909 design depicting two stalks of durum wheat framing ONE CENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and E PLURIBUS UNUM would give way to Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse beginning in 1959. Doubled die reverses form when the hub and die fail to align precisely during successive impressions in the die-sinking process, embedding overlapping design elements in the steel die that then transfer to every coin struck from that die. The delicate wheat ear details, thin stems, and carefully spaced lettering on Brenner's reverse provided numerous design elements where even subtle hub displacement could produce detectable doubling. Six documented DDRs for the final Wheat Cent year reflects the combined effect of high collector interest in terminal-date issues and the volume of 1958 cents examined by variety specialists. The Wheat Cent's fifty-year run produced one of the most extensively cataloged series in American numismatics, with the closing years receiving especially thorough scrutiny.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1958 1¢ WDDR-006
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References