1915 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Strong spread appearing as an extra bar under the L of LIBERTY makes this the primary doubled die obverse for the 1915 Lincoln Wheat Cent — DDO-001 — and one of the more visually distinctive early-date Lincoln doubled dies. The "extra bar under L" description indicates the doubling manifests as a clear secondary horizontal element beneath the letter L, a diagnostic that can be detected without extreme magnification. Cataloged by VarietyVista with die marker codes UVC-1245 and DMR-004, the die stage progression documents three states: Stage A (Early Die State, unconfirmed), Stage B with both obverse and reverse in Mid Die State, and Stage C (Late Die State, unconfirmed). The confirmed MDS observation for Stage B provides the most reliable attribution data. The 1915 Lincoln Cent was struck during the Progressive Era, only six years after the design's debut — an era when Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait was still relatively new and the coin's design elements retained their full sharpness before decades of hub wear softened the details on later issues. Philadelphia was the sole mint producing cents in 1915 with a mintage of approximately 29.1 million, a moderate figure that makes 1915 a semi-key date in the Wheat Cent series. The designation as DDO-001 confirms this as the most significant doubled die obverse for the date.

Die Markers

• UVC-1245
• DMR-004
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Robert "BJ" Neff
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References