1962 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-022

Description

Setting itself apart from the lettering-focused doubled dies that predominate in the 1962 Lincoln Memorial Cent DDO catalog, DDO-022 exhibits a strong spread directed south on Lincoln's eyelid — a narrowly localized but visually arresting displacement that alters one of the most finely sculpted features of Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait. The southward displacement means the secondary image of the eyelid sits below the primary, creating a perceptible thickening or doubled contour line that can give Lincoln's eye a distinctively heavy-lidded appearance under magnification. The "strong" classification indicates this spread should be visible at 5x to 7x, making it one of the more readily detectable doubled dies despite its localized nature. Cataloged under die markers UVC-2048 and DMR-046, this is a regular-strike variety from the Philadelphia Mint's 1962 production that entered general circulation among over 606 million business-strike cents. Eyelid doubling is a particularly interesting subset of Lincoln cent DDO varieties because the eye area is one of the highest-relief portions of the obverse design, meaning even small hub displacements produce visible effects in this zone. The highly focused nature of the spread — limited to the eyelid rather than spanning multiple design elements — suggests that the hub pivot point during the secondary impression was located near the center of the bust, with the displacement radiating outward and reaching detectable magnitude only in the eyelid region. Collectors should examine the eye area at moderate magnification, looking for the telltale doubled contour that distinguishes DDO-022 from the normal single-impression eyelid.

Die Markers

• UVC-2048; DMR-046

External References