1963-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-021

Description

Designated as the twenty-first Doubled Die Obverse for the 1963-D Lincoln Memorial Cent, WDDO-021 carries the Wexler Variety ID 1963-D 1c WDDO-021 and was attributed by the Wexler Team. By the time the WDDO numbering reaches the twenties for a single date and mintmark, it becomes apparent that the 1963-D cent occupies a distinctive place in the Lincoln Memorial series — few other issues have yielded a doubled die census of this depth, and the explanation lies primarily in the Denver Mint's staggering 1963 production of 1,774,020,400 pieces. Volume alone does not guarantee variety creation, but it does guarantee intensive die usage, and intensive die usage means that the hubbing process was repeated hundreds of times, each repetition carrying its own small probability of misalignment. Over the full scope of that production, enough misalignments occurred to populate the substantial catalog that collectors now work with. WDDO-021 has no additional cross-references currently known beyond the Wexler catalog, and accurate attribution demands careful comparison of the observed doubling and die markers against published references, as varieties in the upper-numbered WDDO range tend to exhibit more subtle doubling that may require higher magnification to resolve. Collectors should approach examination systematically, starting with a full survey of the date, motto IN GOD WE TRUST, and LIBERTY before narrowing focus to specific areas of involvement. The coin was produced on the standard 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet, carrying Victor David Brenner's portrait of Lincoln on the obverse and Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial on the reverse.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1963-D 1¢ WDDO-021
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References