1959 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Third in the Wexler obverse doubled die census for the 1959 Lincoln Memorial cent, WDDO-003 features the recognizable doubled eyelid diagnostic — an extra eyelid visible just below Lincoln's normal eyelid on Victor David Brenner's portrait, which in 1959 was paired for the first time with Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse, replacing the wheat ear design that had served since 1909. This transitional year holds special significance for Lincoln cent collectors, as every 1959 variety exists on the first-year Lincoln Memorial cent, adding type-collecting appeal to die variety interest. Obverse die markers provide crucial identification: numerous die scratches running predominantly in a south-southwest to north-northeast direction can be found both to the left and to the right of Lincoln's bust, creating a distinctive pattern of parallel scratches flanking the portrait. No significant reverse die markers were noted. Philadelphia struck approximately 610.9 million cents in 1959, a substantial mintage for the debut year of the new reverse that would continue through 2008. The doubled eyelid diagnostic on the 1959 WDDO-003 is consistent with the class of Lincoln cent obverse doubled dies where subtle hub displacement affects the finely sculpted eye area — the extra eyelid appears as a distinct secondary arc below the primary eyelid, created when a secondary hub impression slightly shifted the facial features. The SSW/NNE die scratches flanking the bust provide a practical first-check diagnostic: collectors can quickly scan for the directional scratch pattern to identify the correct die before examining the eye area at higher magnification. Examination of the eyelid region at 10-15x magnification with fiber-optic illumination should reveal the secondary eyelid line displaced below the primary contour.

Die Markers

• Obverse: Numerous die scratches running mostly SSW/NNE can be found to the left of and to the right of the bust. Reverse: None significant.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References