1945 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-025

Description

A doubled eyelid visible south of Lincoln's primary eyelid distinguishes this twenty-fifth documented doubled die obverse for the 1945 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent — an unusual area of doubling that most collectors overlook in favor of the more commonly examined LIBERTY and date regions. A small die chip sits well south of the 45 in the date on the obverse, while the reverse displays prominent finger feeder damage running from just below the C in CENT upward through LU in PLURIBUS, along with small die chips southeast of the second S in STATES. Finger feeder damage — created by the mechanical fingers that feed planchets into the press — leaves distinctive linear marks on the die surface that transfer to every coin struck. Cross-referenced under Wexler Variety ID: 1945 1¢ WDDO-025, attributed by the Wexler Team. The 1945 Wheat Cent was the final year of the recycled shell casing composition that gave wartime cents their golden color, before the return to standard bronze in 1946. Philadelphia produced over 1.04 billion cents in 1945, and twenty-five documented DDO varieties for this single date represents extraordinary density. The eyelid doubling on Lincoln's portrait demonstrates that hub misalignment can affect even fine engraving details, not just bold text elements.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Frank Baumann Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1945 1¢ WDDO-025
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References