1960 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-018

Description

This 1960 proof Lincoln Memorial cent WDDR-018 displays a spread towards the center on the U of UNITED, ONE CENT, the bottom of the Memorial building, the designer's initials (FG for Frank Gasparro), and slightly on AMERICA. This proof issue was struck at the Philadelphia Mint on a bronze planchet (95% copper, 5% tin-zinc) weighing 3.11 grams with a 19 mm diameter, from the second year of the Lincoln Memorial reverse design. The spread toward the center is characteristic of Class II distorted hub doubling. No obverse die markers have been noted, but the reverse carries three useful authentication points: a short vertical die gouge on the upper right cornice, a small die gouge between the E and N of CENT, and a die gouge to the right of the center of the T in CENT. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 1960 1c Pr WDDR-018 with no other known cross-references, this variety was documented by the Wexler Team. The 1960 proof cent is notable as one of the first proof years for the Memorial reverse design, which had debuted in 1959. These early Memorial proofs are of particular interest to variety collectors because the new dies and hubs required to produce the unfamiliar design may have been more susceptible to hub doubling during the initial production learning curve. This variety belongs to the Jefferson Nickels Original Design 1938-2003 series (cataloged by series association in the Wexler files but actually a cent variety). The proof sets of 1960 contained both small-date and large-date cent varieties, adding another dimension to the collecting interest.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Whaden Curtis Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1960 1¢ Pr WDDR-018
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References