1946-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-005

Description

Fifth in the reverse doubled die census for the 1946-S Lincoln wheat cent, DDR-005 exhibits light spread on the lower left wheat grains — the portion of Victor David Brenner's reverse design where the individual grain kernels along the left wheat stalk provide textured surfaces that reveal even modest hub displacement. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-1744 and DMR-057, documenting three die stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid die state where a die crack has developed from the upper left wheat stalk to the rim and the obverse has also reached MDS, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The die crack notation at Stage B provides a secondary diagnostic for mid-state specimens, as the crack creates a visible raised line on struck coins that is independent of and more obvious than the light wheat grain doubling. The additional comment identifies the mintmark as MMS-004 (trumpet tail), a mintmark style variant where the S mintmark exhibits a flared or trumpet-shaped tail at its lower terminus — a characteristic of a specific S mintmark punch used at the San Francisco Mint that can serve as an independent confirmation point for the die pair. San Francisco struck approximately 198.1 million cents in 1946, the inaugural year of the Roosevelt dime but also the final full production year of the World War II-era economic transition. The combination of light spread classification and lower-left wheat grain localization means this variety requires focused examination under 15-20x magnification, concentrating on the individual grain details along the left stalk where secondary impressions produce slightly thickened or displaced kernel contours. The trumpet tail mintmark should be verified first as a quick die pair confirmation before investing time in the subtle reverse doubling examination.

Die Markers

• UVC-1744
• DMR-057
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die crack from upper Left wheat to rim – MDS
• Obverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Larry Patterson
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References