1939 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-020

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 1939 1c WDDO-020, this doubled die obverse on the 1939 Philadelphia Lincoln Wheat Cent manifests as an extra eyelid visible below Lincoln's primary eyelid — a portrait feature variety that produces one of the most compelling visual diagnostics in the Lincoln cent series. Die markers are unusually abundant on the obverse: two parallel die scratches run northwest-southeast northeast of the eyelid, a die scratch runs east-southeast from the upper 1 in the date, light die scratches run north-northwest to south-southeast under the Y in LIBERTY, and concentric die scratches run near the rim of nearly the entire obverse — this last feature suggesting the die was polished on a lathe or rotating fixture that left circular abrasion patterns. On the reverse, die scratches run approximately vertically through ENT in CENT and STATES. No supplementary cross-references beyond the Wexler designation are known. The extra eyelid diagnostic is anatomically distinctive: the doubling direction aligned with the curved engraving of Lincoln's eyelid in such a way that the secondary impression appears as a complete second lid below the first, creating an immediately recognizable doubled portrait feature. The 1939 cent was struck in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) at 3.11 grams and 19 mm diameter with a plain edge. The 1939 Philadelphia mintage of 316,466,000 was part of the pre-war production ramp-up that saw cent output reach historic levels.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Keith Christenson Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1939 1¢ WDDO-020
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References