1961 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

A close spread on the designer's initials — JS for John R. Sinnock, the chief engraver who designed the Roosevelt dime in 1946 — characterizes WDDO-002 on the 1961 proof Roosevelt silver dime. "Close spread" describes doubling where the secondary hub impression sits very near the primary, producing a tight secondary image rather than a widely separated one. This makes the variety more challenging to detect than wider-spread doubled dies, as the two impressions nearly merge and the doubling may appear as a thickened or slightly fuzzy rendering of the initials rather than a clearly separated secondary image. The Wexler Team cataloged this as Wexler Variety ID: 1961 10¢ Pr WDDO-002, noting no significant obverse or reverse die markers. As a proof issue, this 90% silver dime was produced at Philadelphia with mirror fields and frosted devices — the controlled proof striking process provides exceptionally sharp initial detail that can make subtle doubled dies easier to verify than on business strikes. The 1961 proof set production totaled approximately 3.03 million sets. WDDO-002 complements WDDO-001 in the 1961 proof Roosevelt obverse census, with each variety originating from a different die showing a distinct misalignment event. The designer initials are located on the obverse at the base of Roosevelt's neck, requiring magnification of 10x or higher to evaluate the close-spread doubling.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1961 10¢ Pr WDDO-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References