1959-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Cataloged as WDDR-001 on the inaugural-year Lincoln Memorial Cent from Denver, this variety displays extra thickness with spread directed toward the center on ONE CENT and Frank Gasparro's designer initials FG, positioned at the lower right of the Lincoln Memorial. The die markers recorded for this variety reference obverse die characteristics used to identify the specific die pair in which this reverse was employed. The inward-directed spread — toward the center of the die — means the secondary hub impression shifted the doubled image of each affected letter and initial slightly centripetal relative to the primary impression, producing a compressive offset best observed on the outward-facing edges of the lettering. The year 1959 holds landmark significance in American numismatics: it marked the debut of Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse, replacing Victor David Brenner's iconic wheat ears design that had served since 1909, making this the first year collectors could find the new reverse in circulation. WDDR-001 on the 1959-D therefore represents a doubled die variety from the very first production run of a reverse design that would continue for nearly fifty years, lending it a "first-year-of-issue" appeal beyond the variety itself. The FG initials — small but precisely cut — provide an especially sensitive diagnostic surface where even modest inward spread produces detectable broadening. Struck in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) at the Denver Mint, this cent predates the 1982 transition to copper-plated zinc. Examination under 10x magnification at the FG initials and ONE CENT best reveals the centripetal extra thickness.

Die Markers

• Obverse

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References