1952-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-003

Description

Medium spread concentrated on the 52 portion of the date distinguishes DDO-003 on the 1952-D Lincoln wheat cent, where the hub misalignment displaced the final two digits of the year while leaving other obverse elements less noticeably affected. VarietyVista catalogs this under UVC-3497 with die marriage reference DMR-032, and the comments note MMS-004, identifying the specific mintmark style of the D punch used on this die — a detail that provides an additional attribution point beyond the doubling itself. Three die states are documented: Stage A in Early Die State (unconfirmed), Stage B where both obverse and reverse are in Mid Die State, and Stage C in Late Die State (unconfirmed). Denver produced approximately 746.1 million wheat cents in 1952, maintaining the high output levels characteristic of the Korean War era. Medium spread on 52 means the digits show clearly visible secondary images under standard magnification — the curved forms of the 5 and 2 are particularly effective at displaying doubling because the inner and outer contours each produce their own doubled shadow, creating four visible edges where only two should exist. The confirmed Mid Die State at Stage B represents the best-documented condition for diagnostic photography and attribution confirmation. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait and the wheat-stalk reverse both carry their standard configurations on this die, with the date area serving as the sole prominent diagnostic zone.

Die Markers

• UVC-3497
• DMR-032
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brady Douglas
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References