1962 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-043

Description

Exhibiting a broadly distributed doubling pattern with one particularly distinctive diagnostic feature, the 1962 Lincoln Memorial Cent WDDO-043 shows extra thickness on the date, LIBERTY, and IN GOD WE TRUST, accompanied by a telltale notch on the bottom left of the numeral one in the date. The notch — a small but unmistakable indentation where the secondary image diverges from the primary stroke of the one — serves as the variety's signature attribution point, instantly distinguishing it from other WDDO entries that display generalized extra thickness without such a localized anomaly. While the broad thickening across three inscription zones confirms the presence of hub-level doubling affecting a wide swath of the obverse, it is the notch on the one that provides the precision needed for confident variety attribution. Obverse die markers further refine the identification: a die gouge appears below the six in the date, and a small die gouge sits between the tops of the R and U in TRUST. On the reverse, a die gouge to the right of the lower T in CENT completes the marker profile. This variety was struck at the Philadelphia Mint as a regular business-strike issue during 1962, the last year of the original 95% copper alloy composition for the Lincoln cent. Victor David Brenner's iconic obverse portrait and Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse — which had been introduced just three years earlier in 1959 — were both in their early maturity as the Mint refined its die production processes for these relatively new designs.

Die Markers

• Obverse: A die gouge can be found below the six in the date. A small die gouge can be found between the tops of the R and U in TRUST. Reverse: A die gouge can be found to the right of the lower T in CENT.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References