1946 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-011

Description

Documented as Wexler Variety ID: 1946 1¢ WDDO-011, this doubled die obverse is part of the extensive family of hub doubling varieties on the 1946 Philadelphia cent. The year stands out in die variety research for the sheer density of its documented DDO varieties — more than thirty distinct entries. This abundance transforms the 1946 cent from a common, high-mintage issue into a rich hunting ground for variety specialists. Philadelphia struck 991,655,000 cents on planchets of shell-case brass, continuing the 95% copper, 5% zinc formula that replaced wartime steel and pre-war tin-bearing bronze. As the first full calendar year without armed conflict since 1940, 1946 saw the beginning of the baby boom and a surge in household formation that amplified demand for circulating coinage. The doubled die effect preserved in WDDO-011 is a product of the hubbing process — where imprecision between multiple impressions embeds a secondary image in the working die. Collectors should focus on obverse lettering, date, and bust for signs of raised separation indicating genuine hub displacement rather than flat machine doubling.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1946 1¢ WDDO-011
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References