1972 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Paired with the Type 1 reverse die and carrying Wexler identifier 1972 $1 WDDO-002, this Eisenhower dollar doubled die obverse represents the second cataloged DDO for the 1972 issue, pairing it with the most commonly encountered of the year's three reverse hub types. The Type 1 reverse, recognizable by the positioning of the Earth and Florida relative to the eagle's tail feathers, was used for the majority of 1972 Philadelphia production, meaning WDDO-002 married to a Type 1 reverse falls within the most abundant reverse population. Frank Gasparro designed both the obverse portrait of Eisenhower and the reverse eagle-and-moon motif, which adapted elements from the Apollo 11 mission insignia to celebrate the achievement of lunar exploration during the president's lifetime. Hub doubling on the WDDO-002 die creates visible secondary images on Gasparro's portrait, and the large 38.1mm diameter of the Ike dollar — significantly larger than any circulating U.S. coin currently produced — provides a generous canvas for examining the spread under magnification. The 1972 Eisenhower dollar's place in variety collecting is outsized relative to its numismatic age, driven by the famous Type 2 reverse and the multiple DDO varieties that emerged from Philadelphia's die shop that year. Collectors building a complete 1972 Ike variety set need to account for each DDO number paired with each reverse type, as not all combinations exist, and the WDDO-002/Type 1 marriage fills one specific cell in that matrix.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1972 $1 WDDO-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References