1963 Proof Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-044

Description

Reaching into the mid-forties of the proof-specific DDO numbering for the 1963 Lincoln Memorial Cent, WDDO-044 belongs to a region of the catalog where the cumulative count of varieties serves as a powerful demonstration of the relationship between die production volume and the incidence of hubbing anomalies. The Philadelphia Mint's proof facility required a continuous supply of fresh die pairs throughout the 1963 production year, with each pair serving roughly 3,000 impressions before retirement. Over the course of striking 3,075,645 proof cents, the facility consumed approximately a thousand obverse dies, each individually manufactured through the multi-impression hubbing process that can produce doubled dies when the working hub shifts between applications. WDDO-044 preserves one such shift as a permanent feature of its die, visible on proof surfaces that combine mirror-like reflective fields with crisply frosted devices. The contrast between these two surface finishes can make secondary hub images particularly apparent under magnification with angled lighting, as the doubled contours appear as subtle disruptions in the otherwise uniform field-to-device transition. Collectors examining 1963 proof cents for this variety should pay careful attention to the obverse legends, date, and portrait details, using at least 10x magnification and reference images from the Wexler Doubled Die Files for comparison. The coin was struck on a 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet, bearing Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait on the obverse and Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial on the reverse.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References