1951-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

An unusual portrait-focused doubled die, the 1951-D Lincoln Wheat Cent DDO-002 exhibits strong southward spread on Lincoln's eyelid, making it one of the more distinctive facial-feature doubled dies in the series. VarietyVista catalogs this Denver-mint regular strike with UVC-1797 and DMR-048, documenting three die states. Stage A and Stage B remain unconfirmed at early and mid-die state respectively. Stage C reaches late die state with three die cracks developing across the forehead and an additional die crack running northeast across the shoulder, while the reverse also shows LDS deterioration. Doubled dies affecting Lincoln's facial features are particularly prized among variety collectors because the human eye naturally focuses on the portrait, making the doubling more visually engaging than typical inscription-based varieties. The eyelid spread on this DDO-002 is best observed under magnification at roughly five to ten power, where the southward displacement becomes unmistakable against the fine detail of the engraving.

Die Markers

• UVC-1797
• DMR-048
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Three die cracks on forehead – LDS
• Die crack Northeast across shoulder
• Reverse is LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Mark Franzen
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References