1996-D Doubled Die Reverse DDR-001

Description

Column number seven on the Lincoln Memorial reverse — spanning from the statue's hand down to its shin — appears twice on this 1996 Denver Mint cent, the result of a medium westward spread caused by misaligned hub impressions during die manufacture. Cataloged as DDR-001 with VarietyVista die markers UVC-3006 and DMR-004, the die progressed through at least three documented stages: Stage A shows both obverse and reverse in early die state (EDS), Stage B transitions to mid-die state (MDS, unconfirmed), and Stage C reaches late die state (LDS, unconfirmed). Doubled die reverses on Lincoln Memorial Cents occur when the hub is impressed into the working die at slightly different positions or angles during successive hubbing operations, transferring a ghost image of design elements. The Memorial's columned facade — with its repeating vertical elements — makes column doubling particularly visible and easy to attribute. The 1996-D date falls within the high-mintage clad era when Denver produced hundreds of millions of cents annually, meaning many die pairs were consumed and the statistical likelihood of hub misalignment on at least one die was substantial. Collectors seeking this variety should examine column seven carefully under magnification for the secondary shadow image west of the primary column line.

Die Markers

• UVC-3006
• DMR-004
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Craig Sexon
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References