1948-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-005

Description

Fifth in the Wexler obverse doubled die census for the 1948-S Lincoln wheat cent, WDDO-005 exhibits a clockwise spread visible on the first T in TRUST — a targeted diagnostic that pinpoints the doubling to a specific letter within the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait design places the motto in small raised letters along the upper obverse rim, and the T's angular geometry — with its horizontal crossbar and vertical stem meeting at a right angle — provides a particularly sensitive surface for detecting rotational displacement, as the CW spread creates a telltale shift in the crossbar angle. San Francisco struck approximately 81.7 million cents in 1948, a standard postwar production year with no unusual manufacturing circumstances. The Wexler Team noted a significant additional characteristic in the Stage A obverse die markers: the obverse also carries a repunched mintmark listed in the Wexler RPM Files, meaning this single die exhibits two independently attributable varieties — a doubled die obverse and a repunched mintmark — making it a dual-variety die of particular interest to collectors pursuing comprehensive attribution. Cross-referenced under Wexler Variety ID: 1948-S 1¢ WDDO-005, with the "s:" notation suggesting an additional listing that was incompletely captured. The dual-variety nature of this die increases its collector appeal substantially, as specimens carrying both an attributable DDO and an RPM from the same working die are relatively uncommon. Collectors should examine the first T of TRUST under 15-20x magnification for the clockwise rotational displacement, then check the S mintmark for evidence of repunching — a secondary S impression displaced from the primary — to confirm both varieties are present on the same coin.

Attribution History

• s:; Wexler Variety ID: 1948-S 1¢ WDDO-005
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References