1937 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-006

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1937 10-cent WDDO-006, this doubled die obverse on the Mercury Dime (more properly the Winged Liberty Head Dime) shows a Class II spread toward the center on the date, with slight doubling on the letters of IN GOD WE TRUST and the designer's initials AW (for Adolph A. Weinman). Class II Distorted Hub Doubling occurs when the working hub deforms during the die-making impression, producing doubling that radiates from a central point. The Mercury Dime was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 90% silver (2.50 grams, 17.91 mm diameter), with Weinman's iconic design of Liberty wearing a winged Phrygian cap — often mistaken for the Roman god Mercury — on the obverse and a fasces bound with an olive branch on the reverse, in production from 1916 through 1945. The 1937 Philadelphia issue had a mintage of 56,860,000 pieces. No cross-references to other attribution systems are currently known. Obverse die markers include a short die scratch running east-northeast from the lower back of Liberty's neck, parallel die scratches running east-southeast from the right side of the I in LIBERTY, and a short die scratch from SSW to NNE to the left of the top of the wing. The reverse carries a horizontal die scratch above the letters DI in DIME. These directional die scratches — recorded with compass-point precision — provide the most reliable authentication markers for confirming this specific die.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wayne Perry Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1937 10¢ WDDO-006
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References