2009 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-006

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die marker codes UVC-2796 and DMR-008, the 2009 DDR-006 was struck on the Lincoln Bicentennial Cent's "Professional Life" reverse — one of four unique reverse designs issued in 2009 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. The doubling manifests as a very strong spread directed southeast, creating an extra partial column and upper window sill on the fourth column of the Illinois State Capitol building depicted on this reverse design. The "very strong" classification places this among the most visually prominent doubled dies in the 2009 Bicentennial series, with the extra column shadow and window sill displacement clearly visible under moderate magnification. The variety progresses through four documented die states: Stage A in early die state (EDS), unconfirmed; Stage B where the reverse is in EDS while a die crack develops on Lincoln's forehead, reaching early-mid die state (EMDS); Stage C in MDS, unconfirmed; and Stage D in late die state (LDS), also unconfirmed. The forehead die crack at Stage B provides a critical state-identification marker that helps collectors determine when in the die's production sequence their specimen was struck. The 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cent was struck in copper-plated zinc at 2.50 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter, with the obverse designed by Victor David Brenner. The "Professional Life" reverse, designed by Susan Gamble and sculpted by Don Everhart, shows Lincoln standing before the Illinois State Capitol, a design used only during 2009. The architectural detail of the Capitol building — with its columns, windows, and structural elements — provided fertile ground for doubled die detection, as the geometric regularity of these features makes even subtle displacement immediately apparent when compared to the expected column spacing and window alignment.

Die Markers

• UVC-2796
• DMR-008
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse is EDS
• Die crack on forehead – EMDS
• Stage C:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage D:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Dennis Fisher
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References