What it is
A rare doubled die on the reverse of a Philadelphia zinc cent. The doubling is strong and easy to see once you know where to look.
How to identify it
- Turn the coin over: ONE CENT, E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA all show strong doubling.
- The doubled letters look thick, with a distinct second outline.
- It is a 2.5 g copper-plated zinc cent with no mint mark.
A 5x to 10x loupe and good, angled light make the details much easier to see. For anything that looks genuine, a digital scale and a certified comparison coin help.
What gets mistaken for it
Do not confuse it with a 1983 cent showing machine doubling, or with zinc "bubbling" under the plating, which can make letters look blurred.
The regular 1983 coin
The variety appears on the 1983 Lincoln Memorial Cent, which had a total mintage of 7,752,355,000. That figure counts the whole issue, so it does not tell you how many coins show the variety.
How a reverse doubled die happened in 1983
Reverse dies were hubbed the same way as obverse dies, with more than one impression from the master hub. In 1983 one Philadelphia reverse die took an impression that was out of alignment with the first, doubling the lettering around the Lincoln Memorial. It was paired with a normal obverse, so the front of the coin gives no hint of what is on the back.
1983 was the first full year of copper-plated zinc cents and Philadelphia struck billions of them. The doubled die coins were mixed with that enormous output, which is why examples have been found in old rolls and jars of cents long after 1983.
Where to look and what you need
Use a 5x loupe for a first look and a 10x loupe to confirm, with a light coming from the side so the letters cast small shadows. Start with ONE CENT, then move to E PLURIBUS UNUM above the Memorial and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the rim.
Check every word on the reverse. A genuine doubled die shows the doubling on all of them, not just on one or two letters, because the fault was in the die. Isolated fuzz on a single letter is almost always damage or a strike problem.
Zinc cent problems that mimic doubling
Zinc cents bring their own look-alikes. When the copper plating separates from the zinc core it can form bubbles and blisters that make letters look swollen or blurred. Plating that has worn through exposes gray zinc and can leave ghostly outlines. Neither is a doubled die; both are damage that happened after the coin left the Mint.
Machine doubling also occurs on 1983 cents. It shows as a flat shelf on one side of a letter and often appears on only part of the coin. The genuine variety shows rounded, raised second letters with small notches where the two images meet.
Condition and grading
Zinc cents are prone to spotting and dull, uneven color, so an Uncirculated 1983 doubled die reverse with bright, even red color is especially desirable. Grading services use RD, RB and BN color designations just as they do for older cents. Avoid coins with plating damage on the reverse, because it hides the doubling and lowers the grade.
Store any find in an inert holder rather than a paper envelope. Zinc cents corrode more easily than the older brass ones and a coin that looks bright in the roll can spot within a few years in poor storage.
Authentication and attribution
The 1983 doubled die reverse is listed as FS-801 in the Fivaz-Stanton system, where the 800 range is used for reverse doubled dies. PCGS and NGC certify it with the variety named on the label. Ask for attribution when you submit, or the coin may come back as an ordinary 1983 cent.
Other doubled dies of the early zinc years
The 1983 doubled die reverse has well-known neighbors. The 1984 Doubled Ear shows obverse doubling on Lincoln's ear and beard and the 1995 doubled die obverse shows doubling in LIBERTY. CONECA also lists many minor doubled dies from the 1980s, which make a rewarding search for anyone checking rolls of zinc cents.
If you search rolls for the 1983 doubled die reverse, flip each 1983 cent with no mint mark to the reverse and check ONE CENT first. That single glance rules out most coins in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I have a 1983 Doubled Die Reverse Lincoln Cent?
Turn the coin over: ONE CENT, E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA all show strong doubling. The doubled letters look thick, with a distinct second outline. If your coin passes these checks, have it authenticated by PCGS or NGC before buying or selling.
Is the 1983 Doubled Die Reverse Lincoln Cent valuable?
Genuine examples sell for a premium over regular coins of the same date. The amount depends on how strong the variety is, the coin's condition and whether it is certified. Compare recent sold auction results for certified coins in the same grade.
What is a doubled die reverse?
A doubled die is a die that received two slightly misaligned impressions from the hub when it was made. Every coin struck from that die shows the same doubled lettering or design. Read more about doubled dies.
Is there a 1983-D doubled die reverse penny?
No. The famous 1983 doubled die reverse is a Philadelphia cent with no mint mark.
How can I tell plating bubbles from the 1983 doubled die?
Bubbles are swollen, irregular blisters in the plating, while the doubled die shows clean, rounded duplicate letters that are part of the coin. Real doubling repeats across every word on the reverse.