1972 Lincoln Memorial Cent - Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-018

Description

A relatively spare but diagnostically significant variety, 1972 1¢ WDDO-018 shows an extra horizontal bar below the L of LIBERTY. The variety also exhibits the master die doubling known for the 1972 date on LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST, confirming descent from the replacement master die. No external cross-references have been established (Wexler Variety ID: 1972 1¢ WDDO-018). The obverse die marker is concise but distinctive: a die scratch extends from the center of the U to the center of the S in TRUST. On the reverse, a die gouge can be found to the left of the bottom of the T in CENT, and a die scratch runs west-northwest to east-southeast between the lower N and T of CENT. The limited number of documented die markers suggests this variety was attributed from a specimen in good enough condition to confirm the doubling but perhaps not sharp enough to reveal the full complement of surface features that additional examination of mint-state specimens might eventually document. Collectors searching for WDDO-018 should focus on the distinctive below-L doubling as the primary identifier, then confirm the U-to-S die scratch on the obverse and the reverse CENT-area markers for full attribution confidence.

Cross References

• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1972 1¢ WDDO-018

External References