1946 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1946 1¢ WDDO-001, this doubled die obverse variety was struck on a 1946 Lincoln Wheat cent at the Philadelphia Mint, which returned to the standard bronze composition of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc after the wartime shell case years. The coin weighs 3.11 grams with a 19 mm diameter and a plain edge. Philadelphia struck 991,655,000 cents in 1946, approaching the one-billion mark and producing one of the highest Wheat cent mintages in the series. As WDDO-001 — the first cataloged doubled die obverse for the 1946 Philadelphia date — this variety holds the distinction of being the primary DDO in the census for this issue. The primary diagnostic manifests as a minor extra eyelid found directly under the normal eyelid on Lincoln's portrait. While described as minor, the extra eyelid feature appears in one of the most diagnostically useful areas of the Lincoln cent obverse, where the sharp definition of the eyelid provides an unambiguous reference line against which doubling can be detected. This variety is documented across two die stages with different die pairings. Obverse Stage A features a die gouge protruding from the lower back of Lincoln's head, with a matching Reverse Stage A showing a die scratch running west from the top of the O in OF. Obverse Stage B shows the Stage A die gouge as very weak but still visible, confirming continued die deterioration, and a new Reverse Stage B was paired with the obverse — featuring a die scratch running east-northeast from the C to the top of the second A in AMERICA. The die re-pairing documented between stages indicates the original reverse die was replaced while the doubled die obverse continued in service, a common Mint practice that sometimes resulted in doubled die obverses being paired with multiple different reverse dies during their working life.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1946 1¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References