2019 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-003

Description

On the reverse of the 2019-P Lincoln Shield Cent, WDDR-003 displays light extra thickness on the designer initials LB (for Lyndall Bass, the shield reverse designer) and JFM (for Jim Ferrell and Michael Gaudioso of the engraving staff). The doubling is subtle, confined to these small incuse elements near the base of the design, and requires careful magnification to appreciate fully. The Wexler Team attributes this variety, and reverse die markers support identification: a small die gouge in the form of a dot appears to the left of the top of the L in the designer's initials, providing a reliable pickup point. No significant obverse die markers have been documented. The Shield Cent reverse, in production since 2010, replaced the one-year bicentennial designs of 2009 with a permanent motif representing the Union Shield — a symbol chosen to evoke Lincoln's preservation of the United States as one nation. Philadelphia's 2019 cent production used the copper-plated zinc composition introduced in 1982. While WDDR-003 ranks among the more delicate doubled die reverses in the Shield Cent catalog, its placement on the designer initials makes it noteworthy, as these elements are among the finest details on the die and are especially sensitive to minor hub alignment variations during die preparation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Kemar Williams Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2019 1¢ WDDR-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References