1971-S Proof Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Only doubled die reverse documented for the 1971-S proof Lincoln Memorial cent, this WDDR-001 entry records a very close Class II spread towards the center affecting the designer's initials — Frank Gasparro's FG monogram at the lower right of the Lincoln Memorial reverse design. The centripetal displacement characteristic of Class II spread pulls the secondary impression inward, producing thickened outer edges on the already small initials at a very close spacing that places this variety firmly in the high-magnification detection category. The designer's initials function as a natural doubling indicator because their diminutive scale magnifies the visual effect of even slight hub displacement — a shift measured in thousandths of an inch can produce resolvable separation on these fine letter strokes while remaining invisible on the larger Memorial architecture or denomination text. No significant die markers have been identified on either side of the coin, which concentrates the attribution process entirely on detecting the centripetal Class II spread on the FG monogram. The solitary status of WDDR-001 in the 1971-S proof reverse doubled die catalog stands in contrast to the obverse, which generated five documented WDDOs — an asymmetry reflecting the independent hubbing of obverse and reverse dies, where each side carries its own probability of hub misalignment during manufacture. Proof production at San Francisco preserved the very close reverse doubling with mirror-field clarity, though the combination of small affected area and subtle displacement means that even the superior surface fidelity of proof striking does not make this variety easy to detect without deliberate, targeted examination of the Gasparro initials under adequate magnification.

Die Markers

• Obverse: None significant. Reverse: None significant.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References