1998 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-028

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 1998 1¢ WDDR-028, this doubled die reverse variety appears on a 1998 Lincoln Memorial cent struck at the Philadelphia Mint. The Lincoln Memorial cent was produced in copper-plated zinc composition adopted in 1982, weighing 2.5 grams with a 19 mm diameter and a plain edge. Philadelphia's cent production in 1998 numbered in the billions, continuing the era of massive output that characterized late-twentieth-century coinage. The doubling on WDDR-028 manifests as slight doubling at an angle on the right side of the sixth Memorial column to the left of the statue's knees, with additional slight doubling visible between the upper legs. The sixth column position, one column to the left of the seventh column that is most commonly associated with Memorial cent doubled dies, provides a less frequently seen but still well-documented location for hub displacement detection. The characterization of the doubling as "slight" and "at an angle" indicates a minor hub displacement with a diagonal vector, producing subtler doubling than the strong spreads found on more dramatic varieties. Obverse die markers include a die scratch running northwest to southeast to the left of the lower head and a small die gouge above the second digit 9 in the date. The reverse shows a small die gouge inside the D of UNITED, and die clash remnants in the lower ninth bay, indicating the dies clashed at some point during their service. The presence of die clash remnants in a specific bay of the Memorial provides both a secondary variety characteristic and evidence of the die's production history. No significant cross-references have been established. The high sequential number WDDR-028 for the 1998 date reflects the systematic and thorough examination of contemporary Lincoln cents by dedicated variety researchers during this period.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar Cross References: None known Comments: The hub marker above N in UNUM is not visible. The hub markers at the top of memorial bay 7 and 8 are not visible. The roof hub markers are not visible.
• s:; Wexler Variety ID: 1998 1¢ WDDR-028
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References