1939 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-008

Description

Recorded in the VarietyVista catalog as DDO-008 (UVC-1426, DMR-010), this 1939 Lincoln Wheat Cent displays medium extra eyelid doubling to the north—a subtle but diagnostic shift visible on Lincoln's portrait where a second eyelid line appears displaced above the primary one. Eyelid doubling is among the more nuanced forms of obverse hub misalignment on Lincoln Cents, requiring careful examination under magnification. Three die stages document this variety's production life. Stage A is early die state, currently unconfirmed. Stage B is the most active, with the obverse at mid-die state showing a die crack over V.D.B. (designer Victor David Brenner's initials), a die crack on the lapel of Lincoln's coat, and a light die crack on the forehead, while the reverse also reaches mid-die state. Stage C is cataloged as late die state, unconfirmed. The multiple die cracks developing simultaneously across the portrait in Stage B—forehead, lapel, and near the bust truncation—suggest the obverse die was experiencing broad structural stress rather than localized failure. The 1939 Wheat Cent is a common date, keeping this variety accessible to collectors.

Die Markers

• UVC-1426
• DMR-010
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die crack over V.D.B. – MDS
• Die crack on lapel
• Light die crack on forehead
• Reverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References