1942-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-003

Description

Light separation lines visible on the right wheat stalk distinguish this third documented doubled die reverse for the 1942 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, where the doubling manifests not as traditional letter spread but as fine parallel lines within the wheat ear design. A die scratch running to the right of the N in IN and another running east-southeast from the numeral 1 in the date toward the vest provide obverse die markers. The reverse shows a strong die gouge running NNW/SSE through the E of AMERICA, along with light die scratches running approximately vertically to the left of the T in CENT. Cross-referenced under Wexler Variety ID: 1942-D 1¢ WDDR-003, attributed by the Wexler Team. The 1942-D Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck during the first full year of American involvement in World War II, and Denver's cent production that year topped 206 million pieces. The separation lines on the wheat stalk represent a form of doubling where the hub shift was just sufficient to create visible split lines within the parallel wheat ear detail — the closely spaced lines of the wheat design act as a sensitive detector for even slight lateral displacement. Victor David Brenner's Wheat Ears reverse, with its organic, fine-lined design of two wheat stalks framing the inscriptions, responds differently to hub doubling than bold text, producing the characteristic separation lines rather than the notched corners or spread letters seen on text-based doubling.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Not noted Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1942-D 1¢ WDDR-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References