1952-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-011

Description

Pushing the known census to at least eleven entries, WDDO-011 for the 1952-D Lincoln wheat cent demonstrates that Denver's mid-century cent production generated hub doubling events at rates comparable to the more heavily studied 1950s dates. The Wexler Team cataloged this variety under Wexler Variety ID: 1952-D 1¢ WDDO-011, adding it to the growing body of die study documentation for Lincoln wheat cents of the Eisenhower era. Denver struck 746,130,000 cents in 1952, a robust output that required hundreds of obverse dies manufactured at Philadelphia and shipped west for installation. Hub doubling during the die-making process occurs independently on each working die, so the probability of generating at least one misaligned impression increases proportionally with the number of dies produced. At catalog position eleven, WDDO-011 was identified after ten more prominent or earlier-discovered doubled die obverses had already been documented, suggesting its doubling characteristics fall in the moderate-to-subtle visibility range. Diagnostic examination should target the lettering of IN GOD WE TRUST, the date digits 1952, and the word LIBERTY for evidence of secondary hub displacement. Magnification at 7x to 10x under directional lighting angled to cast shadow in the spread direction is the standard technique for confirming hub doubling on wheat cent obverse dies.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1952-D 1¢ WDDO-011
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References