1963-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-039

Description

Cataloged as the thirty-ninth Doubled Die Obverse for the 1963-D Lincoln Memorial Cent, WDDO-039 represents yet another unique working die that received a misaligned hub impression during its manufacture at the Denver Mint. The Wexler Team attributed this variety and assigned it Wexler Variety ID 1963-D 1c WDDO-039, with no additional cross-references currently known. The sheer number of DDO varieties cataloged for the 1963-D cent — extending well beyond forty — tells a story about industrial-scale minting in the early 1960s, when the Denver facility was producing coins at a pace that would have been unimaginable to earlier generations of Mint workers. With a total output of 1,774,020,400 cents, the demand for fresh working dies was relentless, and each new die created through the hubbing process represented a fresh opportunity for the minute misalignments that produce doubled die varieties. Collectors who systematically search through 1963-D cent rolls often develop an efficient scanning technique: holding each coin at a slight angle under a desk lamp, they check the IN GOD WE TRUST motto and the date numerals first — the areas where doubling is most frequently detected — before moving to LIBERTY and the portrait details. Coins that pass this initial screen are then examined under higher magnification, typically 10x to 20x, to assess whether the apparent doubling is genuine hub doubling or merely die deterioration. Struck on a 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet, the 1963-D cent carries Brenner's obverse and Gasparro's reverse.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1963-D 1¢ WDDO-039
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References