1940-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

San Francisco's 1940 cent production yielded this primary doubled die obverse, where a close spread towards the center shows on the 40 in the date — a diagnostic that concentrates attention on the final two digits of the year. Die markers include die scratches running N/S through the zero in the date on the obverse and a short N/S die scratch to the right of the top of the U in UNITED on the reverse. Cross-referenced as CONECA: 3-O-II-C and Coppercoins: 1940S-1DO-003, the triple attribution through CONECA, Coppercoins, and the Wexler system (Wexler Variety ID: 1940-S 1¢ WDDO-001) provides robust verification across independent attribution frameworks. The CONECA classification of 3-O-II-C identifies this as a Class II variety with a "C" sub-designation indicating a specific spread direction toward the center. The 1940-S Lincoln Wheat Cent had a mintage of approximately 112.9 million pieces, a strong figure for the San Francisco Mint as the nation's economy continued its recovery from the Great Depression, bolstered by increasing defense production. Victor David Brenner's wheat ears reverse, with its enduring appeal to collectors, was entering its thirty-second year of production by 1940. As the primary DDO for the 1940-S date, WDDO-001 anchors the doubled die obverse catalog for this San Francisco issue, and the date-area concentration of the doubling makes it one of the more visually accessible variety diagnostics for Lincoln Cent specialists.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bill Wilson Cross References: CONECA: 3-O-II-C, Coppercoins: 1940S-1DO-003
• CONECA: 3-O-II-C, Coppercoins: 1940S-1DO-003; Wexler Variety ID: 1940-S 1¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References