1980 UFO Variety WUFO-001

Description

Classified under the Wexler Team's distinctive "UFO" category — Unidentified Fascinating Oddity — the 1980 1¢ WUFO-001 represents an anomaly on a Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial cent that defies straightforward categorization within the standard error and variety taxonomy. The UFO designation is reserved for coins that exhibit features too unusual or ambiguous to fit neatly into established categories such as doubled die, repunched mintmark, or die crack. In his commentary accompanying this listing, John Wexler himself expressed uncertainty about the nature of the anomaly, stating: "I am not ready to chalk this one off as a die gouge. Was it a deliberate manipulation of the design? If so, why in that location? We may never definitively know, but it certainly is an interesting variety that may be debated by the experts for years to come." This candid editorial note from one of the foremost variety attribution specialists in the field underscores the genuinely puzzling character of the feature. The debate centers on whether the anomaly represents an accidental die gouge — a commonplace form of die damage that normally warrants no special catalog listing — or something more intentional and therefore more significant. Die gouges typically occur when a foreign object strikes the die face or when tools used during die maintenance leave unintended marks, and they are usually identifiable by their irregular shape and random placement. Whatever its ultimate explanation, WUFO-001 holds a unique place in the 1980 Lincoln cent variety census as the only entry that resists definitive classification. The 1980 Philadelphia cent was the first year to carry the P mintmark on cents and was struck from 95% copper planchets. No additional cross-references are known. Attribution by the Wexler Team; Wexler Variety ID: 1980 1¢ WUFO-001.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Thaddeus Branch Cross References: None known Comments: I am not ready to chalk this one off as a die gouge. Was it a deliberate manipulation of the design? If so, why in that location? We may never definitively know, but it certainly is an interesting variety that may be debated by the experts for years to come.
• None known Comments: I am not ready to chalk this one off as a die gouge. Was it a deliberate manipulation of the design? If so, why in that location? We may never definitively know, but it certainly is an interesting variety that may be debated by the experts for years to come.; Wexler Variety ID: 1980 1¢ WUFO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References