1937-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-003

Description

Light extra thickness appears on IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, and the date on this 1937-S Lincoln wheat cent, indicating a subtle hub misalignment during die production at the San Francisco Mint. While the spread is classified as light, the affected elements span three major obverse zones — motto, legend, and date — suggesting the displacement axis intersected a broad swath of the die face. Cataloged under UVC-1397 / DMR-007 by VarietyVista, die stage progression documents three states: Stage A at Early Die State (unconfirmed), Stage B at Mid Die State (unconfirmed), and Stage C confirmed with both obverse and reverse in Late Die State. The Stage C LDS confirmation means specimens from that die state will show flow lines, softened detail, and other signs of an extensively used die pair. San Francisco wheat cents from the late 1930s circulated heavily, and surviving examples of DDO-003 in higher grades are uncommon. Collectors should examine the serifs of TRUST and the digits of the date for the secondary image that distinguishes this variety.

Die Markers

• UVC-1397
• DMR-007
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References