1952-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Carrying the primary obverse doubled die designation for the 1952-S Lincoln wheat cent, WDDO-001 displays an extremely close counterclockwise spread on the first T of TRUST in the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. The counterclockwise directional spread indicates a Class II (Distorted Hub) mechanism in the Wexler classification system, where the hub or die was slightly rotated during the secondary hubbing impression, creating angular displacement that manifests as a rotational shift rather than a linear directional spread. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln obverse, in its forty-fourth year of production by 1952, continued to utilize the wheat reverse design that would remain through 1958 before Frank Gasparro's Memorial replaced it. Obverse die markers provide essential attribution support: die scratches running north-northeast from the top of the letters IB in LIBERTY create a distinctive directional pattern unique to this die. The reverse carries its own fingerprint with die scratches running southwest-to-northeast between the S in PLURIBUS and the first U in UNUM, offering an independent confirmation point. San Francisco struck approximately 137.8 million cents in 1952, a substantial production run that consumed numerous die pairs across the year's output. The Wexler Team cataloged this variety under Wexler Variety ID: 1952-S 1¢ WDDO-001, with no additional cross-references currently known. The extremely close spread designation indicates the doubling is subtle — the primary and secondary impressions nearly overlap — requiring careful examination under 15-20x magnification focused on the first T of TRUST, where the counterclockwise displacement manifests as slight thickening or a barely perceptible rotational shift in the letter's serifs and strokes.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Frank Baumann Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1952-S 1¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References