1942 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-003

Description

VarietyVista records DDO-003 on the 1942 Lincoln Wheat Cent as exhibiting very strong extra eyelid South, a bar under the L of LIBERTY, and westward spread on IN — three diagnostics that collectively identify one of the more visually dramatic doubled die obverses from the World War II era. Die markers UVC-1520 and DMR-005 fingerprint this working die, with three fully characterized stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B with obverse and reverse at mid die state, and Stage C with obverse and reverse at late die state — notably, Stage C is confirmed rather than the more common "unconfirmed" designation, meaning specimens from all three stages have been positively identified. The southward extra eyelid — a secondary impression of Lincoln's eyelid visible below the primary — is among the most recognizable DDO diagnostics in the Lincoln Cent series, and the "very strong" qualifier indicates this secondary eyelid is more prominent on DDO-003 than on most eyelid varieties. The bar under the L of LIBERTY (a horizontal line created by displaced hub metal beneath the letter) and westward spread on IN provide two additional confirmation zones. The 1942 Lincoln Cent was struck in the standard pre-war composition of 95% copper and 5% tin-and-zinc, the final year of this alloy before the wartime transition to zinc-coated steel (1943) and shell-case brass (1944-1946). Philadelphia's 1942 cent production of approximately 657.8 million pieces — swollen by wartime demand — created a massive working die population. The confirmed LDS stage means late-state specimens exist where the eyelid doubling may appear softened by die wear but the bar under L and IN spread remain attributable through complementary diagnostics.

Die Markers

• UVC-1520
• DMR-005
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by William McMurray
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References