1989 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-015

Description

One of the most visually dramatic doubled die reverses in the entire Lincoln Memorial cent series, WDDR-015 (Wexler variety ID 1989 1¢ WDDR-015) displays extra Memorial columns visible in bays 8, 9, and 10 — ghost-like architectural pillars that appear between the primary columns of the Lincoln Memorial, created when a misaligned secondary hub impression transferred a shifted copy of the columnar design onto the working die. Extra floor details are also visible in bays 1 and 2, where the secondary impression deposited additional horizontal lines representing the Memorial's interior flooring. Originally cataloged as WDDR-023, this variety was reassigned to WDDR-015 during the wholesale renumbering triggered by the discovery of two doubled working hubs for 1989. It is cross-referenced as Crawford CDDR-008. The die carries extensive supplementary markers including die cracks, a die chip, and clash remnants — evidence of a die that experienced significant mechanical stress and at least one clashing event during its production life. The presence of fully formed extra columns rather than mere thickening or notching places WDDR-015 in an elite category of doubled dies where the hub displacement was large enough to produce recognizable architectural elements, making this a visually compelling variety that stands out even to collectors without specialized magnification. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm. Die Markers: Obverse: Numerous die scratches run NE from the tops of the T and Y in LIBERTY. Several parallel die scratches run SW from the bottom left of the O in GOD. Die scratches run from SW to NE in the field to the right of the lips. Die scratches run from SW to NE through the 19 in the date. Reverse: Parallel die scratches run from NW to SE from the bottom of the last Memorial column to the F in FG. Two parallel die scratches run from SSW to NNE to the right of the T in CENT. Die clash remnants can be found at the bottom of the 3rd Memorial bay and the tops of the 7th and 8th Memorial bays.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Billy G. Crawford Cross References: Crawford: CDDR-008 Comments: This variety was originally listed as WDDR-023 but was reassigned to fill the gaping holes that were created in the listings for this date when two doubled working hubs were recognized for the obverse of the 1989 Lincoln cents.
• Crawford: CDDR-008 Comments: This variety was originally listed as WDDR-023 but was reassigned to fill the gaping holes that were created in the listings for this date when two doubled working hubs were recognized for the obverse of the 1989 Lincoln cents.; Wexler Variety ID: 1989 1¢ WDDR-015
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References