1946-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

Subtle yet precisely documented, the 1946-S Lincoln Wheat Cent DDO-002 is tracked by VarietyVista as UVC-1737 with DMR-050. The doubling manifests as a light spread to the south on Lincoln's eyelid — an anatomically specific location that requires focused examination under magnification to confirm. While eyelid doubling is among the more delicate expressions of hub doubling on Lincoln Cents, it is also one of the more aesthetically intriguing because it adds a dimensional quality to Lincoln's gaze that is absent on normal strikes. The die's life history is captured across three stages: Stage A in Early Die State features numerous die scratches running North-South on both the obverse and reverse, indicating the dies entered service with these pre-existing surface marks; Stage B at Mid Die State and Stage C at Late Die State are both unconfirmed. The comments identify the mintmark as MMS-004, the "trumpet tail" S mintmark variety — named for the distinctive flared lower tail of the S that resembles a trumpet bell. This mintmark variety designation adds a second collectible attribute to any DDO-002 specimen, creating a combo variety that appeals to collectors tracking both doubled die and mintmark style classifications. San Francisco struck 198,100,000 cents in 1946, the first post-war year, as the nation's economy transitioned from military to civilian production. The convergence of southward eyelid doubling and the trumpet-tail mintmark makes this variety a fascinating case study in the multiple layers of die identity that can coexist on a single coin.

Die Markers

• UVC-1737
• DMR-050
• Stage A:
• Numerous die scratches North-South on Obverse – EDS
• Numerous die scratches North-South on Reverse – EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Larry Patterson
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References