1944-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-015

Description

Fifteenth in the DDO sequence for the 1944-S Lincoln Wheat cent, WDDO-015 was attributed by the Wexler Team with cross-reference Wexler Variety ID: 1944-S 1¢ WDDO-015. The 1944-S DDO catalog now extends to eighteen or more varieties, making it one of the most prolific date-mints for obverse hub doubling in the entire Wheat cent series. WDDO-015's position in the upper range of the sequence places it among the later discoveries, where doubling characteristics tend to be more subdued and require careful comparison against adjacent catalog numbers for positive attribution. San Francisco's 1944 cent production exceeded 282 million pieces, all struck on shell-case brass planchets that distinguish the wartime issues from standard bronze. The recycled ammunition brass composition gave these cents a subtly different striking characteristic compared to standard planchets, with some researchers noting that the slightly different alloy hardness may have affected die-planchet interaction during the coining process. Whether this material difference influenced the incidence of hub doubling remains speculative, but the concentration of DDO varieties across all three 1944 mint facilities — Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco — is notably high. Collectors pursuing the complete 1944-S DDO set face the compound challenge of locating eighteen distinct varieties within the surviving population and differentiating each one from its neighbors in the catalog.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1944-S 1¢ WDDO-015
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References