1962 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-057

Description

Carrying the rare distinction of a dual-sided doubled die, the 1962 Proof Lincoln Memorial Cent WDDO-057 pairs its obverse doubling with a confirmed doubled die obverse designated WDDR-027 — making this one of a select few 1962 cent dies where both the obverse and reverse working dies received misaligned hub impressions during production. The obverse exhibits a counterclockwise spread from a pivot point at approximately 6 o'clock, with the resulting displacement most visible on the letters of IN GOD WE TRUST. In the Wexler system, this CCW pivoted displacement from a low pivot projects progressively stronger doubling onto design elements further from the pivot axis, explaining why the motto at the top of the obverse received the greatest angular displacement. On the reverse, WDDR-027 shows a spread directed toward the center on UNITED, AMERICA, ONE CENT, and the designer's initials — a convergent spread pattern that compresses the secondary images inward, contrasting with the rotational pattern on the obverse and confirming that the two dies experienced independent hubbing anomalies. The variety carries the Wexler Variety ID 1962 1c Pr WDDO-057 and cross-references to the WDDR-027 designation. No significant die markers have been documented on the obverse. Struck as part of the 1962 proof production of 3,218,019 sets at the Philadelphia Mint, this variety emerged from dies operating under the elevated striking pressure unique to proof coinage, where each die impression was delivered with sufficient force to fill every recess of the polished die surface. The limited die life of roughly 3,000 strikes per proof die means that specimens pairing both the doubled obverse and the doubled reverse are scarce by definition.

Attribution History

• s:; Wexler Variety ID: 1962 1¢ Pr WDDO-057
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References