1945-D Doubled Die Reverse DDR-001

Description

Produced during the final year of World War II, this 1945-D Lincoln Wheat Cent carries a light spread on the outside of the right wheat ear — the first documented doubled die reverse for the date and mint combination. Cataloged by VarietyVista under UVC-1701 and DMR-028, the variety traces through three die stages: Stage A in early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B where a die scratch through RIBU of PLURIBUS provides a definitive attribution marker with both obverse and reverse in mid-die state, and Stage C reaching late die state (unconfirmed). The RIBU die scratch in Stage B is particularly useful because it cuts across four consecutive letters in a distinctive pattern that cannot easily be confused with another die. Wheat ear doubling is among the more sought-after DDR locations on Lincoln Wheat Cents because the fine parallel lines of the wheat design amplify even light spreads into visible separation. The 1945-D Denver Mint cent was struck from the shell casing brass alloy adopted during the war, and as the first DDR for this date, it holds a position of primary importance in the die variety census for late wartime Wheat Cents.

Die Markers

• UVC-1701
• DMR-028
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die scratch through RIBU of PLURIBUS – MDS
• Obverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bill McMurray
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References