1943-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-020

Description

Twenty doubled die obverse varieties from a single date and mintmark would be remarkable for most coin series, yet the 1943-D steel cent surpasses even that figure. WDDO-020 marks the twentieth documented obverse variety from Denver's wartime production, a testament to the scale of both the original mintage and the subsequent examination effort. The popularity of 1943 steel cents among collectors ensures that specimens are examined with unusual thoroughness — many collectors specifically search through bags and rolls of steel cents looking for variety discoveries. The zinc coating, while it corrodes over time, also tends to preserve fine die detail on uncirculated specimens, allowing attributors to detect even subtle hub displacement. Working dies for steel cent production wore more quickly than those used for softer bronze planchets, necessitating more frequent replacements and increasing the total number of dies — and thus the probability of doubled dies — used during the production run. Cataloged under Wexler Variety ID 1943-D 1¢ WDDO-020.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1943-D 1¢ WDDO-020
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References