1940 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-004

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista under UVC-1444 and DMR-009, this 1940 Lincoln Wheat Cent carries a doubled die reverse showing medium extra thickness on E PLURIBUS UNUM and the wheat ears that flank the ONE CENT denomination. The die stages follow an unusual confirmed pattern: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid-die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C showing both reverse and obverse at late die state — meaning confirmed specimens come from the die's final period of use. Extra thickness on the wheat ears is a classic form of Wheat Cent doubled die reverse presentation, as Victor David Brenner's iconic reverse design (1909-1958) features two detailed wheat stalks whose individual kernels and awns provide fine reference elements where even modest hub displacement produces visible thickening. The 1940 Philadelphia Mint struck approximately 586.8 million cents, a substantial prewar production volume that placed the nation's cent output on an upward trajectory heading into the defense buildup years. Doubled dies from the pre-war Wheat Cent era (1909-1941) are generally scarcer than those from the high-volume wartime and postwar years, and the 1940 date has received less attention from variety researchers than the more famous 1930s and 1950s dates, making DDR-004 a noteworthy catalog entry for this transitional period. Medium extra thickness on E PLURIBUS UNUM combined with the wheat ear thickening indicates the hub displacement affected both the upper and lower portions of the reverse die.

Die Markers

• UVC-1444
• DMR-009
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Reverse and Obverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ward Miller
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References