2007 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista with UVC-3305 and DMR-007, the 2007 DDO-001 is a Lincoln Memorial cent doubled die obverse variety displaying strong extra thickness on the date, beard, hair, and RTY of LIBERTY. The 2007 Lincoln cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-plated zinc, weighing 2.5 grams with a 19 mm diameter. As the DDO-001 designation indicates, this was the first doubled die obverse cataloged for the 2007 date, and the strong nature of the doubling on multiple design elements makes it one of the more desirable varieties from this year. Three die stages have been documented for this variety. Stage A is at early die state and is identified by a light horizontal die scratch above the RTY of LIBERTY, with the reverse also at early die state. Stage B is at mid die state but remains unconfirmed in terms of specific diagnostic markers. Stage C is at late die state, also unconfirmed for specific markers. The progression through these die stages allows collectors to determine approximately when during the die's working life their specimen was struck, with early die state examples typically showing sharper doubling details before the general softening that occurs as the die wears. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait features the detailed hair, beard, and coat elements where this hub doubling is most visible, and the extra thickness on the date digits provides an additional quick diagnostic for initial identification. The 2007 cent was the second-to-last year of the Memorial reverse design, which would be replaced by the 2009 Bicentennial reverses and then the Shield reverse in 2010, making late-date Memorial cent varieties part of the closing chapter of Gasparro's 49-year design run.

Die Markers

• UVC-3305
• DMR-007
• Stage A:
• Light horizontal die scratch above RTY of LIBERTY – EDS
• Reverse is EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Benton
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References