1963 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-036

Description

Carrying the Wexler Variety ID 1963 1c WDDO-036, this business-strike doubled die obverse of the 1963 Lincoln Memorial Cent was identified and attributed by the Wexler Team as part of the ongoing cataloging effort that has now documented more than sixty DDO dies for the 1963 Philadelphia cent alone. The proliferation of varieties for this date is a direct consequence of the industrial scale at which the Philadelphia Mint operated during the early 1960s, producing over three-quarters of a billion cents in 1963 alone and consuming hundreds of obverse working dies in the process. Doubled die varieties are true die varieties rather than striking errors; the doubling is embedded in the die itself during manufacture, and every coin struck from that die carries the same secondary image in the same location with the same directional characteristics. This distinction is important because it means that multiple surviving examples of WDDO-036 will all show identical doubling, unlike mechanical doubling or die deterioration doubling, which vary from coin to coin. The 95% copper and 5% zinc composition of the 1963 cent gives well-preserved examples a rich red surface that provides strong visual contrast for detecting subtle design displacement. Collectors examining potential specimens should use at least 10x magnification with angled lighting, focusing on the motto IN GOD WE TRUST, the word LIBERTY, the date, and Lincoln's portrait contour for evidence of hub doubling. The year 1963 marks the penultimate issue before the great coin shortage disrupted American coinage production beginning in 1965.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1963 1¢ WDDO-036
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References