1976-S Variety WMDO-001

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team and cross-referenced as both CONECA MD-1-O-II and Wexler Variety ID 1976-S $1 Pr WMDO-001, this master die doubling obverse variety on the 1976-S Proof Eisenhower Bicentennial Dollar represents a fundamentally different category of doubled die than typical working die varieties. Master die doubling (designated by the "WM" prefix for Wexler Master) occurs not on individual working dies but on the master die from which multiple working dies are produced — meaning every working die created from this master carries the same doubling, multiplying the affected population far beyond what a single working die doubled die would produce. The Class II doubling towards the center shows on the dates — the dual date "1776-1976" used on all Bicentennial coinage — and the die markers will vary across different working dies precisely because the master doubling is common to all while individual working die markers are unique. The CONECA cross-reference MD-1-O-II confirms the master die origin: "MD" for master die, "1" as the first listed variety, "O" for obverse, and "II" for Class II distorted hub doubling. The 1976-S proof Eisenhower Dollar, bearing Dennis R. Williams' Liberty Bell superimposed on the Moon reverse, was produced exclusively at San Francisco for inclusion in proof sets during the nation's Bicentennial celebration. Master die doubling varieties are particularly significant because they demonstrate that the doubling event occurred at an earlier stage of die production than standard doubled dies, affecting the very template from which all working dies were derived.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Not noted Cross References: CONECA: MD-1-O-II
• CONECA: MD-1-O-II; Wexler Variety ID: 1976-S $1 Pr WMDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References