1962 Proof Lincoln Memorial Cent - Variety WWHO-001

Description

Occupying a fundamentally different position in the variety hierarchy from the WDDO entries that dominate this catalog, the 1962 Lincoln Memorial Cent WWHO-001 is a Doubled Working Hub Obverse variety — meaning the doubling originated not on an individual working die but on the working hub itself, during the process by which the master die impressed the working hub that would go on to produce multiple working dies. This distinction carries profound numismatic implications: because every working die created from this doubled hub inherits the same hub-level doubling, WWHO-001 is not a single-die variety but the progenitor of an entire family of doubled dies. Each member of that family will display the same hub-inherited doubling pattern on the date, where a spread directed toward the rim is the defining characteristic, but each working die will carry its own unique set of die markers — scratches, gouges, and progressive features acquired during its individual production life. This means that die markers will vary across different working dies produced from this hub, and collectors may encounter specimens with identical hub doubling but completely different die-specific characteristics. The variety carries the Wexler Variety ID 1962 1c Pr WWHO-001, with no additional cross-references currently known, and was attributed by the Wexler Team. The proof strike designation indicates that at least one working die from this hub was used in the Philadelphia Mint's proof production for 1962, where specially polished dies operating under elevated striking pressure produced 3,218,019 proof sets in the final year of the original 95% copper alloy. The identification of doubled working hubs like WWHO-001 was central to the comprehensive renumbering of the 1962 WDDO series, as researchers recognized that many seemingly independent doubled dies actually shared hub-inherited doubling from sources like this one.

Cross References

• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1962 1¢ Pr WWHO-001

External References