1944-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Carrying the primary obverse doubled die designation for the 1944-D Mercury dime, WDDO-001 exhibits a close centripetal spread on the date and slightly on WE TRUST — Adolph A. Weinman's Winged Liberty design in its penultimate full year of production before the series ended in 1945. The Wexler Team documented die markers on both sides: on the obverse, a small die gouge to the left of Liberty's nose, and on the reverse, the D mintmark touches the leaf on its lower right side — a mintmark positioning detail that serves as a die-specific identifier. Close centripetal spread — directed toward the center of the die — indicates the secondary hub impression contracted slightly relative to the primary, producing thickened digit strokes on the date rather than clearly separated secondary images. Denver struck approximately 62.22 million Mercury dimes in 1944, a wartime production year when demand for circulating coinage remained strong to support the domestic economy during the final year of combat operations. As WDDO-001, this represents the first and presumably most significant obverse doubled die documented for the 1944-D Mercury dime, establishing the benchmark variety for this date-mint combination. The Mercury dime series (1916-1945) has attracted sustained variety collector interest due to Weinman's artistically acclaimed design, the series' rich array of mintmark varieties, and the manageable date range that encourages complete set building. The die gouge near Liberty's nose provides a convenient obverse locator — positioned on a prominent facial feature, it is readily identifiable even before committing to the more demanding examination of date doubling. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1944-D 10¢ WDDO-001, with no additional attribution system listings currently known. The mintmark touching the leaf on the reverse provides a second confirmation point for die identification, verifiable at moderate magnification.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1944-D 10¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References