1963-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-037

Description

Closely related to WDDO-036 in its doubling profile, the 1963-D Lincoln Memorial Cent WDDO-037 also displays doubling inside the upper numeral 3 of the date, suggesting that both varieties may trace their doubled image to working dies produced during the same hubbing session or from the same working hub. However, WDDO-037 is confirmed as a separate die by its distinct marker constellation. On the obverse, a die scratch runs through the upper 96 in the date, two die scratches run southwest from the middle tip of the 9, a light die clash can be found left of the 1 in the date, and two die scratches run north-northeast from T and Y in LIBERTY. The reverse markers provide equally strong attribution points: a die scratch runs south-southeast from the top of the 10th Memorial bay, and large die chips can be found on the 11th and 12th Memorial columns of the Lincoln Memorial. No additional cross-references are currently known. Cataloged as Wexler Variety ID 1963-D 1c WDDO-037 and attributed by the Wexler Team, this variety emerged from a Denver Mint production run of 1,774,020,400 cents — a colossal volume that consumed die pairs at a remarkable pace. The similarity between WDDO-036 and WDDO-037 illustrates why die markers, rather than doubling characteristics alone, are the definitive tool for variety attribution. Collectors examining candidates should use 10x or greater magnification and pay close attention to the die scratch patterns around the date numerals and LIBERTY to distinguish between these neighboring catalog entries.

Attribution History

• Discovered by David Mulberry Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1963-D 1¢ WDDO-037
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References