1941 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-025

Description

Twenty-fifth in the Wexler-documented obverse doubled die census for the 1941 Lincoln wheat cent, WDDO-025 presents the distinctive doubled eyelid diagnostic — an extra eyelid visible below Lincoln's normal eyelid — accompanied by doubling below the horizontal crossbar of the 4 in the date. The Wexler Team identified no significant obverse die markers beyond the doubling itself, but the reverse carries a useful diagnostic: a small die gouge appearing as a dot south of the right side of the E in STATES. This reverse die gouge provides the secondary confirmation point needed to verify the correct die marriage before evaluating the subtle obverse doubling. Philadelphia struck approximately 887.0 million Lincoln wheat cents in 1941, a pre-war production peak that consumed enormous numbers of working dies across the year. The doubled eyelid diagnostic is a recurring theme among Lincoln cent hub-doubled obverse dies — the carefully sculpted facial detail in Victor David Brenner's portrait makes the eyelid area particularly sensitive to even minimal hub displacement, with the secondary eyelid contour appearing as a thin line below the primary eyelid. The companion doubling below the crossbar of the numeral 4 provides a second diagnostic zone on the same die, confirming the hub misalignment affected multiple areas of the obverse. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 1941 1c WDDO-025, with no additional attribution system listings currently known. Twenty-five documented DDOs for the 1941 date reflects the intensive variety research applied to high-mintage pre-war wheat cents. Collectors should locate the reverse die gouge dot south of E in STATES to confirm the die, then examine Lincoln's eyelid under 10-15x magnification for the secondary contour and the base of the 4 for displacement below the crossbar.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mike Antenucci Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1941 1¢ WDDO-025
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References