1936 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-008

Description

Eighth in the Wexler-documented obverse doubled die census for the 1936 Lincoln wheat cent, WDDO-008 features an extra eyelid found south of the normal eyelid on Lincoln's portrait — a doubling diagnostic concentrated in the delicate facial detail of Victor David Brenner's presidential portrait that has appeared on the cent obverse since 1909. Obverse die markers include east-west die scratches at approximately the center where the large fold in Lincoln's vest begins, while the reverse carries a die gouge (appearing as a dot) to the left of the lower N in UNITED. These die-specific features provide essential secondary confirmation for attributors. The Wexler Team cataloged this variety under Wexler Variety ID: 1936 1¢ WDDO-008, with no additional cross-references known. Philadelphia struck approximately 309.64 million cents in 1936, a substantial Depression-era output that reflected improving economic conditions under the New Deal recovery programs. The wheat cent design was approaching its third decade of continuous production, and the numerous working dies required for Philadelphia's output generated multiple documented doubled die varieties. The doubled eyelid diagnostic is among the most visually intuitive doubling indicators on Lincoln cents — the secondary hub impression displaces the fine eyelid line southward, creating a clearly distinct second eyelid contour below the primary that is readily apparent even to beginning variety collectors. Examination should begin with Lincoln's eye area under 10-15x magnification to identify the extra eyelid, then move to the vest fold area to verify the east-west die scratches, and finally check the reverse for the dot-shaped die gouge left of the N in UNITED to complete the die pair confirmation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1936 1¢ WDDO-008
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References