1961 Proof Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-012
Error
Description
Recorded as the twelfth doubled die reverse in the 1961 Proof Lincoln Memorial Cent sequence, WDDR-012 shows a close spread directed towards the center on the designer's initials FG and the inscription AMERICA. The Class II centripetal displacement is concentrated in the right-center portion of the reverse die face, where both the FG monogram — positioned between the Memorial building and the right rim — and the AMERICA legend arc overhead. This localized coverage contrasts with the broader multi-inscription spreads seen on varieties like WDDR-011 and WDDR-016, suggesting that the hub distortion during the secondary impression was more geographically limited on this particular die. No significant obverse die markers have been identified. The reverse, however, provides a valuable authentication diagnostic in the form of a short vertical die scratch running through the top left of the E in AMERICA. This scratch, incised into the die surface during production or handling rather than raised like the doubled design elements, allows collectors to distinguish the die identity through a marker that is independent of the doubling pattern itself. The Proof format of the 1961 Lincoln cent ensures that both the close centripetal spread on FG and AMERICA and the vertical die scratch through the E are preserved with the sharpness and definition needed for confident attribution, and collectors should examine the right-center reverse under at least 7x magnification with lighting angled to highlight both the displacement and the incised scratch simultaneously.
Die Markers
- Obverse: None significant. Reverse: A short vertical die scratch runs through the top left of the E in AMERICA.
Attribution History
- Discovered by Wexler Team