1971-S Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Sole entry in the Wexler doubled die reverse sequence for the 1971-S proof Lincoln Memorial cent, WDDR-001 documents a very close Class II spread towards the center on the designer's initials — the tiny FG monogram of Frank Gasparro positioned at the lower right of the Lincoln Memorial design. Class II spread towards the center pulls the secondary hub impression inward, thickening the initials on their outer edges, but the very close magnitude means the displacement is slight enough to require magnification for reliable detection. The designer's initials serve as a sensitive indicator of reverse hub doubling because their small scale amplifies even minimal positional shifts: a displacement that might be invisible on larger design elements like the Memorial columns or denomination text can produce detectable separation on the fine strokes of the F and G. No significant die markers have been documented on either the obverse or reverse, leaving the Class II centripetal spread on the initials as the sole diagnostic criterion for this variety. Cross-referenced through the Wexler Team's attribution files as 1971-S 1¢ Pr WDDR-001, this variety stands alone in the 1971-S proof reverse doubled die catalog — while the obverse generated at least five documented WDDOs, the reverse produced only this single entry, a disparity that likely reflects both the mechanics of hubbing (obverse and reverse dies are hubbed independently, each with its own alignment tolerance) and the detection difficulty inherent in very close reverse doubling where the affected area is limited to a small design feature. Proof striking preserves the subtle centripetal spread with maximum fidelity on the mirror-finish reverse fields.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1971-S 1¢ Pr WDDR-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References