1938-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-003

Description

Light spread toward the center on E PLURIBUS UNUM and the separating dots distinguishes this third documented doubled die reverse for the 1938 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, cataloged under Wexler Variety ID 1938-D 1-cent WDDR-003 with no other known cross-references. The obverse carries a die chip on the left side of the I in LIBERTY approximately one-third of the way down from the top, while the reverse shows die scratches running east-west inside the R in AMERICA and many northeast-to-southwest die scratches in the area of STA in STATES and RIC in AMERICA. Center-directed spread on the motto and dots is consistent with Class IV offset hub doubling, where the hub shifts between impressions in a direction that compresses design elements inward. The 1938-D Wheat Cent was struck during the Depression Era at the Denver Mint, and the relatively modest mintages of the late 1930s make variety coins from this period less commonly available than their high-mintage 1940s and 1950s counterparts. Victor David Brenner's wheat ear reverse had been in production for nearly three decades by 1938, and the accumulated wear patterns on master hubs and working hubs contributed to the variety of hub anomalies documented across the series. The concentration of die scratches in the STATES/AMERICA area on the reverse provides strong secondary attribution markers beyond the primary doubling.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1938-D 1¢ WDDR-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References