1997 (D) Lincoln Memorial Cent - Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-025

Description

Distinctive die markers make WDDR-025 one of the more readily attributable doubled die reverses on the 1997 Denver Lincoln Memorial Cent. The primary doubling manifests as a bar extending from the upper hand to the lower knee on the right side of the Lincoln statue, visible on the seventh column of the Memorial facade. Three obverse and reverse die markers provide secondary attribution: a die chip below the leg of the R in LIBERTY on the obverse, a die chip east of the lower 12th column on the reverse, and a die chip touching the right-side middle of the T upright in CENT. The Lincoln statue within the Memorial — the tiny seated figure visible between the columns — is one of the most demanding diagnostic areas on any U.S. coin due to its miniature scale, and doubling that affects the statue's limbs requires careful magnification to confirm. The three die chip markers across different areas of the coin provide a triangulation method for attribution: confirming any two of three chips virtually guarantees the correct die identification before the more challenging statue examination is undertaken. The twenty-fifth sequential number indicates this was identified during an extended period of variety searching beyond the initially obvious specimens.

Cross References

• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1997-D 1¢ WDDR-025

External References