1940-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-008

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1940-D 1 cent WDDO-008, this doubled die obverse on the 1940 Denver Mint Lincoln wheat cent has no known cross-references in CONECA, Cherrypickers, or other attribution systems. The eighth documented doubled obverse die for the 1940-D date, WDDO-008 belongs to a moderate family of obverse varieties produced when hub misalignment during die manufacture displaced obverse design elements. Without documented die markers on either the obverse or reverse, attribution relies exclusively on the doubling pattern — collectors must match the specific direction, magnitude, and affected design areas of the hub displacement against published reference photographs in the Wexler files. The 1940-D Lincoln cent was struck in 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc at 3.11 grams, with a mintage exceeding 81 million pieces from the Denver Mint — a substantial production run that consumed a large number of working dies and provided ample statistical opportunity for misalignment events. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait, by 1940 in its thirty-first year of production, had undergone subtle hub refinements over the decades, and the specific relief characteristics of the 1940-era hubs influence how doubling manifests on the obverse design. Collectors searching for this variety should examine the inscriptions IN GOD WE TRUST and LIBERTY, the date, and the fine details of Lincoln's hair and ear under at least 7x magnification with directional lighting.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Whaden Curtis Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1940-D 1¢ WDDO-008
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References