1963 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-015

Description

Rounding out the mid-range entries in the 1963 P-mint DDO catalog, WDDO-015 of the Lincoln Memorial Cent represents another working die that received a misaligned hub impression at the Philadelphia Mint during the production of 754,110,000 business-strike cents. The hubbing process used to manufacture each working die involved pressing the hardened working hub into the softer die blank under hydraulic force, and this operation typically required multiple impressions to fully transfer the design. Between any two impressions the die was removed from the press, annealed to relieve work-hardening, and then re-seated for the next application, and the re-seating step introduced the possibility of fractional displacement that produced doubled die varieties. This multi-step manufacturing sequence was standard practice at all United States Mint facilities during the 1960s, and the sheer number of dies needed for a production run of three-quarters of a billion cents ensured that some percentage would carry detectable doubling. Collectors seeking WDDO-015 should examine each obverse element systematically under magnification, paying close attention to the date, IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, and Lincoln's portrait details where secondary images are most readily visible. The 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet gives uncirculated specimens a reddish luster that provides good contrast for detecting subtle doubling. The obverse design is by Victor David Brenner and the reverse by Frank Gasparro. No specific die markers are enumerated in the current attribution data, so confirmation requires comparison with known die photographs from the Wexler Doubled Die Files.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References