1962 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-053

Description

Closing out this batch of 1962 Lincoln Memorial Cent WDDO varieties, WDDO-053 represents a regular-strike doubled die obverse variety for which no significant die markers have been documented on either the obverse or the reverse. The absence of prominent markers does not diminish the variety's cataloged status — it simply means that the die surfaces were relatively clean at the time of documentation, without the gouges, scratches, or progressive features that typically serve as secondary identification aids. In practical terms, this places the entire attribution burden on the doubling characteristics themselves, requiring collectors to carefully compare the specific direction, magnitude, and distribution of the spread against Wexler team reference images to confirm WDDO-053 and exclude other catalog entries. This situation is more common than collectors might expect in the 1962 series: the discovery of four different doubled working hubs for 1962 cent dies means many varieties share similar doubling profiles inherited from the same hub, and when a die also lacks distinctive physical markers, precise attribution demands meticulous side-by-side comparison with published die photographs rather than the shortcut of matching a single prominent gouge or scratch. The variety was struck at the Philadelphia Mint during 1962, the final year of the original 95% copper, 5% tin-and-zinc alloy composition, when over 606 million business-strike cents were produced. Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait and Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse were each in only their fourth and third years of production respectively, still relatively early in the design's half-century run that would extend through 2008. Collectors approaching this variety should work at 10x to 16x magnification under angled lighting, examining the date, LIBERTY, and IN GOD WE TRUST for any signs of thickening, separation, or directional spread that match the documented doubling profile for WDDO-053.

Die Markers

• Obverse: None significant. Reverse: None significant.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References