1971-S Proof Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Exhibiting a very strong Class V clockwise spread from a pivot point near 6:00, the 1971-S Proof Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002 documents the second major proof doubled die obverse for this date — a rotational variety where the hub turned around a fulcrum at the base of the die during the secondary hubbing impression, producing maximum displacement at the top of the design and progressively less spread as design elements approach the 6:00 pivot. The very strong spread manifests prominently on LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST, with slight doubling extending into the date — a gradient of displacement consistent with the rotational geometry, since the date's position nearer to the pivot point receives less angular offset than the more distant inscription elements. Obverse die markers include a die scratch running east-southeast from the rim to the left of the W in WE, a feature that serves as a quick screening tool when sorting through 1971-S proof cents. The reverse carries its own identification signatures: die scratches running from southwest to northeast through the lower tenth and eleventh Memorial bays, along with a curving die scratch from south-southwest to north-northeast through the right Memorial base — details that confirm the specific reverse die mated to this doubled obverse. San Francisco's proof striking process — multiple impressions at elevated tonnage on polished planchets and dies — captured the rotational pivot-point doubling with exceptional surface contrast, rendering the clockwise spread as precisely defined doubled edges against the coin's mirror-like fields. The pivot at 6:00 distinguishes this variety's geometry from WDDO-004's 5:00 pivot, producing a different distribution of affected elements despite both being Class V clockwise varieties.

Die Markers

• Obverse: A die scratch runs ESE from the rim to the left of the W in WE. Reverse: Die scratches run from SW to NE in the lower 10th and 11th Memorial bays. A curving die scratch runs from SSW to NNE through the right Memorial base.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References