1937 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-013

Description

Victor David Brenner's portrait of Abraham Lincoln has been the face of the American cent since 1909, and when a doubled die shifts that portrait even slightly, the result can appear as an extra eyelid — a secondary impression of the eyelid margin displaced just below the normal one. WDDO-013 on the 1937 Philadelphia Lincoln wheat cent exhibits precisely this diagnostic: an extra eyelid visible below Lincoln's primary eyelid. Philadelphia's 1937 cent production reached approximately 309.2 million pieces, a substantial Depression-era mintage that reflected the economy's gradual recovery and sustained demand for small change. The Wexler Team cataloged this as Wexler Variety ID: 1937 1¢ WDDO-013, with no other known cross-references and no significant obverse or reverse die markers documented. The high WDDO number (013) indicates extensive examination of 1937 Philadelphia cents, with at least twelve other obverse doubled dies documented before this one. Extra eyelid varieties require magnification of 10x or higher to confirm, as the displacement between the primary and secondary eyelid impressions is typically measured in fractions of a millimeter. Collectors should examine the portrait under consistent directional lighting, looking for a faint line paralleling the normal eyelid fold at a slightly lower position. The subtlety of this diagnostic makes high-grade uncirculated specimens the best candidates for attribution.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Pete Apple Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1937 1¢ WDDO-013
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References