1956 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-008

Description

A proof variety from the Philadelphia Mint, the 1956 Lincoln Wheat Cent DDO-008 exhibits a medium spread on IN GOD WE TRUST cataloged by VarietyVista as UVC-2649 with die marriage reference DMR-017. The die state progression for this variety is particularly informative: while Stage A and B are unconfirmed in early and mid-die state respectively, Stage C reveals extensive late-die-state deterioration — thick die scratches across the digits of the date accompanied by a strong die scratch in the field above the G of GOD, with the reverse also in late die state. These heavy die scratches in Stage C serve as definitive diagnostics for identifying late-state examples of this die, and their severity suggests the die remained in service well into its decline. Proof Lincoln Wheat Cents from 1956 were struck in the final years of the Wheat reverse design — Victor David Brenner's wheat ears would give way to Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse in 1959 — making proof varieties from the late 1950s terminal issues in this long-running reverse design. Doubled die varieties on proof coins benefit from the mirror fields and sharp strikes characteristic of proof production, which make even medium-strength doubling more readily visible than it would appear on business strikes.

Die Markers

• UVC-2649
• DMR-017
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Thick die scratches on the digits of the date – LDS
• Strong die scratch in field above G of GOD
• Reverse is LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References