1945-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-001

Description

First cataloged doubled die reverse for the 1945-S Lincoln Wheat Cent, DDR-001 shows a light spread on the outside of the right wheat ear — a subtle variety requiring careful examination of the wheat stalk details. VarietyVista assigns die markers UVC-1708 and DMR-034, with Stage A documented from Early-Mid Die State through Late Die State, and Stages B and C unconfirmed. The mintmark is identified as Ball Serif style (MMS-006), characterized by rounded, ball-shaped terminals on the S letter punch rather than the flat or pointed serifs found on other punch styles. The light spread on the right wheat ear's outer edge resulted from a secondary hub impression that shifted slightly during die sinking, producing doubled contours along the stalk's outline. Victor David Brenner's Wheat Cent was in its thirty-seventh year, struck at San Francisco during the final year of World War II on shell casing planchets — recycled brass from spent military cartridge cases used from 1944 through 1946. Struck at 19mm with the S mintmark below the date. Examine the outside edge of the right wheat ear for the light doubled spread, and verify the ball serif S mintmark characteristic of MMS-006.

Die Markers

• UVC-1708
• DMR-034
• Stage A:
• Reverse is EMDS
• Reverse is LDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References