1964-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Within the growing body of doubled die obverse varieties documented for the 1964-D Lincoln Memorial Cent, WDDO-003 represents the third distinct obverse die identified as carrying a hubbing-induced design displacement. The Denver Mint's 1964 production of 3,799,071,500 Lincoln cents required an extraordinary number of working dies — each serving a finite number of impressions before wear necessitated replacement — and every one of these dies was manufactured through the multi-impression hubbing process. The working hub, carrying the obverse design in relief, was pressed into a softened die blank repeatedly to sink the incuse design to its specified depth, and any shift of the hub between impressions left a secondary image superimposed on the primary design. This doubled impression in the die was then replicated on every coin struck from it, producing a population of identically doubled cents that variety collectors can identify and attribute. The 1964 coin shortage context gives the 1964-D cent particular historical resonance: Congress was sufficiently alarmed by the shortage that it not only authorized overtime production at both mints but also passed legislation removing mint marks from all United States coins beginning in 1965, reasoning that collectors who sought mint-marked coins were contributing to the hoarding problem. This made the 1964-D cent the final Denver-minted Lincoln cent with a visible mint mark until the D reappeared in 1968. Collectors searching for WDDO-003 should examine the obverse under at least 10x magnification, checking date numerals, legends, and portrait contours for secondary images. Struck on a 95% copper and 5% tin-zinc planchet weighing 3.11 grams.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References