1963 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-068

Description

High-numbered proof DDO varieties like the 1963 Lincoln Memorial Cent WDDO-068 are often discovered years or even decades after the initial wave of variety documentation for a given date, as advancing technology and fresh eyes revisit the surviving proof population. Digital imaging, in particular, has transformed variety attribution by allowing collectors to capture high-resolution photographs of subtle doubling and share them with expert attributors for confirmation. The Wexler Team attributed this variety and assigned the catalog designation Wexler Variety ID 1963 1c Pr WDDO-068, integrating it into the Wexler Doubled Die Files alongside the dozens of other DDO varieties now documented for the 1963 P-mint cent. As a proof striking, WDDO-068 was produced from dies that underwent chrome plating and polishing after the hubbing process, entering the press line with mirror-quality surfaces that struck coins at elevated pressure on specially prepared planchets. The higher striking pressure of proof production forces planchet metal into the die recesses more completely than business-strike operations, which can make secondary hub images visible on proof coins that would remain undetectable on circulation strikes. The 3,075,645 proof Lincoln cents struck in 1963 were the last produced before the coin shortage suspension halted proof set production beginning in 1965, and individual die pairs typically served about 3,000 impressions before retirement. The coin was struck on a 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet and features the standard Brenner portrait with Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1963 1¢ Pr WDDO-068
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References