1945 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-006

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1945 10¢ WDDO-006, this Mercury Dime exhibits a spread towards the center on the date and the designer's initials — a convergent doubling pattern where the secondary hub impression shifted inward, producing doubled images on the interior side of these design elements. Submitted by Thomas McGowan, the variety carries multiple die markers across both sides: the obverse shows die scratches running SSW/NNE to the left of the forehead and a nearly horizontal die scratch above the 19 in the date, while the reverse features a die scratch running NW/SE below the TA in STATES and a die crack connecting the tops of I and C in AMERICA that extends to the rim from the top of each letter. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1945 10¢ WDDO-006 with no other known references. The Mercury Dime — more accurately the Winged Liberty Head Dime — was designed by Adolph A. Weinman and struck from 1916 through 1945, making the 1945 date the final year of this iconic series before it was replaced by the Roosevelt Dime in 1946. Composed of 90% silver and 10% copper, the coin weighs 2.50 grams with a diameter of 17.91 mm. The designer's initials AW appear on the obverse near the neck truncation, and their small size makes doubling on these initials a precise diagnostic feature — the fine engraving detail renders even slight hub displacement visible as overlapping letter strokes. The die crack connecting I and C in AMERICA with extensions to the rim documents progressive structural failure that helps confirm die state when attributing this variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Thomas McGowan Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1945 10¢ WDDO-006
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References