1945-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-012

Description

Twelve doubled die obverses cataloged for the 1945-S cent illustrate a principle familiar to variety collectors: high-mintage dates tend to yield more documented die varieties simply because more working dies were manufactured. With 181,770,000 cents to produce, San Francisco required a large die inventory, and each die underwent the hubbing process where misalignment could occur. WDDO-012 closes the current documented DDO catalog for the 1945-S issue, the final year that shell case alloy — recycled from spent military brass casings — was used for American cent production. Beginning in 1946, all three Mint facilities would return to the pre-war bronze composition of 95% copper with 5% tin and zinc. These 1945-S shell case cents therefore represent the end of an unusual compositional chapter in Lincoln Cent history, and their die varieties are part of a broader wartime numismatic record that collectors continue to study and expand. Cataloged under Wexler Variety ID 1945-S 1¢ WDDO-012.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1945-S 1¢ WDDO-012
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References