1963 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Struck from specially prepared dies at the Philadelphia Mint as part of the 1963 proof production run of 3,075,645 pieces, the 1963 Proof Lincoln Memorial Cent WDDO-002 is a doubled die obverse variety in which a misalignment during the die hubbing process created visible doubling on the obverse design elements. Proof dies at the Philadelphia facility received a meticulous preparation sequence involving chrome plating and careful polishing to produce the mirror-like fields and frosted devices that distinguish proof coinage from circulation issues. Because proof dies typically struck no more than approximately 3,000 coins before being retired or re-polished, each proof working die served only a small fraction of the total proof mintage, and any hubbing anomaly present in a given die was transmitted to a correspondingly limited number of coins. This restricted die life makes proof doubled die varieties inherently scarcer in absolute terms than their business-strike counterparts, even when the parent proof mintage appears generous by modern standards. Collectors examining 1963 proof cents for WDDO-002 should inspect the obverse legends and date under at least 10x magnification with angled lighting, looking for secondary images that indicate hub doubling rather than mechanical doubling or die deterioration. The variety is cross-referenced under Wexler Variety ID 1963 1c Pr WDDO-002, with no additional cross-references currently known. The coin carries Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait of Abraham Lincoln and Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse, struck on a 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet. The year 1963 was the second-to-last before the great coin shortage of 1965-67 disrupted regular proof production.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1963 1¢ Pr WDDO-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References