1961 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-017

Description

Closing out the documented doubled die reverse sequence for the 1961 Proof Lincoln Memorial Cent, WDDR-017 displays a close spread towards the center on UNITED, the left Memorial base, the right side of the Memorial building, and AMERICA. The involvement of both the left base and right side of the Memorial structure — in addition to two inscriptions — gives this variety a distinctive breadth of coverage that spans the architectural centerpiece of Gasparro's reverse design. The centripetal Class II displacement on these elements indicates that the secondary hub impression was shifted inward during die manufacture, and the spread's visibility on both the architectural and textual components of the reverse suggests a relatively uniform distortion event. No significant obverse die markers have been recorded, but the reverse provides two diagnostic points: a small die gouge on the vertical bar of the E in UNITED, and a small die gouge below the N in ONE. These two gouges, situated in different areas of the reverse legend, offer collectors a reliable two-point confirmation system for authentication. Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1961 1¢ Pr WDDR-017 with no known cross-references, this seventeenth and final entry in the 1961 Proof DDR sequence brings the total documented doubled die reverse population for the date to a remarkable seventeen varieties — a concentration that attests to the challenges of maintaining perfect hub registration across the many reverse dies required for the year's Proof cent production at Philadelphia.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1961 1¢ Pr WDDR-017
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References