1972 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 — making it the counterpart to WDDO-017, which shows an extra bar above the L. This unusual below-the-letter presentation indicates a different class or direction of hub doubling rotation than the majority of 1972 doubled dies in the Wexler catalog. 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.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Frank C. Bruske Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1972 1¢ WDDO-018
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References