1956-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-040

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 1956-D 1¢ WDDO-040, this doubled die obverse variety appears on a 1956-D Lincoln Wheat cent struck at the Denver Mint. The 1956-D cent was produced in the standard bronze composition of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a 19 mm diameter and a plain edge. Denver struck 1,098,201,100 cents in 1956, surpassing one billion for the first time at that facility, a milestone reflecting the booming post-war American economy and growing demand for circulating coinage. This variety's most distinctive diagnostic is an extra eyelid present southeast of the main eyelid on Lincoln's portrait, a feature that catches many collectors' attention because it mimics a true doubled eye but results from hub doubling affecting the fine detail of the portrait's eye area. The obverse die also carries a repunched mintmark that is pending definitive classification in the Wexler RPM files, meaning this single coin potentially represents two collectible varieties on one specimen. Die scratches running southwest-to-northeast between the Y in LIBERTY and the bust provide additional obverse attribution markers. Reverse die markers include a vertical die scratch running left of the D in UNITED, a vertical die scratch through the O in OF, and a die scratch from the lower left E in E PLURIBUS UNUM extending southwest to the left wheat ear. Cross-referenced as Coppercoins 1956D-1DO-014, this variety is documented across multiple attribution services. The high sequential number (WDDO-040) indicates the 1956-D date has yielded a substantial number of doubled die obverse varieties, reflecting the enormous production volume and the consequent large number of dies manufactured for that year's Denver Mint cent production. The 1956-D represents one of the final two years of the Lincoln Wheat cent series before the Memorial reverse was introduced in 1959.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Karen Peterson Cross References: Coppercoins: 1956D-1DO-014
• Coppercoins: 1956D-1DO-014; Wexler Variety ID: 1956-D 1¢ WDDO-040
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References