1936 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-012

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team under Wexler Variety ID 1936 10c WDDO-012, this Mercury Dime shows a spread toward the center on the date, designer's initials (AW for Adolph Weinman), and IN GOD WE TRUST. Center-directed spread results from hub compression during die manufacture, where the hub is impressed with slightly different depth or angle on successive strikes, pushing design elements inward. Obverse die markers include a die crack running from the rim to the left of the T in LIBERTY into the wing on the bonnet worn by the winged Liberty head, plus a small die gouge to the left of the bottom of the B in LIBERTY. The reverse shows no significant markers. No other cross-references are currently known for this variety. Adolph Weinman's Mercury Dime design — officially the Winged Liberty Head — debuted in 1916 as part of the beautiful coin renaissance championed by the Treasury. The 1936 Philadelphia Mint struck approximately 87.5 million dimes, a substantial recovery from the depressed mintages of the early Depression years. As the twelfth documented doubled die obverse for the 1936 date, WDDO-012 represents thorough research into a date with high survivor populations, where the large number of existing specimens increases the likelihood of discovering die varieties.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Thomas McGowan Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1936 10¢ WDDO-012
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References