1943 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-004

Description

Bearing Wexler Variety ID 1943 1¢ WDDO-004, this steel cent doubled die obverse is part of the small but significant group of hub doubling events documented on the wartime Lincoln Wheat Cent. The 1943 steel cent stands alone in American numismatic history — no other year of Lincoln Cent production used a ferrous composition, and the experiment was abandoned after a single year in favor of copper-plated shell casings in 1944. The steel blanks were punched from strip stock, coated with zinc to retard corrosion, and fed into presses whose dies had been designed for softer bronze planchets. This mismatch between die design and planchet hardness influenced every aspect of the striking process, from the sharpness of design details to the rate of die deterioration. Collectors should note that WDDO-004 specimens with strong, uncorroded zinc coating will display the doubling diagnostics most clearly, while corroded examples may obscure the subtle evidence of hub displacement. The wartime steel composition gives these varieties a visual and historical character found in no other year of the series.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1943 1¢ WDDO-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References