1972 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Paired with the scarce Type 2 reverse and bearing Wexler identifier 1972 $1 WDDO-002, this Eisenhower dollar combines the second-cataloged doubled die obverse with the rarest of the year's three reverse hub types — a die marriage that, while less storied than the WDDO-001/Type 2 combination, carries significant collector interest in its own right. The Type 2 reverse, identified by the distinctive rendering of Earth and the Florida peninsula below the eagle's tail, was produced in limited quantities before being replaced by the Type 3 hub, and any variety paired with this scarce reverse benefits from the reduced population of Type 2 coins available in the marketplace. WDDO-002 displays hub doubling on Gasparro's Eisenhower portrait, with the specific spread characteristics differing from WDDO-001 — collectors must examine the direction and intensity of doubling on LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the date to distinguish between the two obverse dies. The Eisenhower dollar series, produced from 1971 through 1978 at Philadelphia and Denver for business strikes and San Francisco for collector editions in 40% silver, holds a unique position in modern U.S. numismatics as the last circulating large-format dollar before the transition to the smaller Susan B. Anthony dollar in 1979. Variety collecting within the Ike dollar series is dominated by the 1972 date precisely because of the Type 1/2/3 reverse complexity and the multiple DDO dies that emerged from that year's die production, making it the most studied date in the seven-year series.

Attribution History

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

External References