1943 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-016

Description

Sixteenth in the prolific 1943 steel cent DDO series, WDDO-016 was attributed by the Wexler Team under the designation 1943 1¢ WDDO-016 with no supplementary cross-references. The 1943 Lincoln cent occupies a singular position in American numismatics as the only regular-issue coin struck on zinc-coated steel planchets, a wartime expedient that lasted just one year before copper (in the form of recycled shell casings) was restored to cent production in 1944. Philadelphia's enormous output of 684.6 million steel cents that year created a vast population of coins for variety specialists to examine, and the discovery of thirty-plus DDO varieties reflects decades of sustained searching. WDDO-016 sits in the middle range of the 1943 DDO census, positioned between the earlier discoveries that typically represent the most prominent doublings and the later listings that often document subtler hub misalignment events. The zinc coating on steel cents presents both opportunities and challenges for variety attribution: bright, well-preserved examples can show exceptional detail in the doubling, while corroded specimens may have their diagnostic features partially obscured. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait, refined through three decades of hub modifications by 1943, had reached a mature form where the die design transferred consistently, making genuine hub doubling clearly distinguishable from the flat, shelf-like displacement of machine doubling. Collectors should approach WDDO-016 identification by first confirming the steel composition (magnetic test), then examining the obverse under 10x magnification for the specific spread pattern documented in the Wexler files.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1943 1¢ WDDO-016
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References