1942 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-021

Description

Carrying Wexler Variety ID 1942 1¢ WDDO-021, this doubled die obverse Lincoln Wheat Cent extends the documentation of hub doubling events from the landmark final bronze year. With twenty-one or more doubled die obverse varieties now cataloged for 1942, this date ranks among the most thoroughly studied in the entire Lincoln Cent series from a die variety standpoint. The mechanical cause is consistent across all of them: during die manufacture, the working hub failed to align precisely with the working die on successive impressions, leaving a permanent record of the displacement in the die's surface. What varies from one WDDO to the next is the nature and direction of that displacement — whether it involves rotation, lateral shift, pivot, or distortion. Identifying WDDO-021 specifically requires the collector to determine which design elements show doubling and in what orientation, then match that pattern against published reference material. The final bronze cents of 1942 remain widely available in collector-grade condition, ensuring that cherrypicking opportunities persist for those with the knowledge and patience to find attributed varieties.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1942 1¢ WDDO-021
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References