1964 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-030

Description

Marking the thirtieth Wexler doubled die obverse designation for the 1964 Philadelphia Lincoln cent, WDDO-030 demonstrates the remarkable depth of variety collecting for this date. Thirty distinct doubled die obverse varieties from a single date and mint is an extraordinary count, exceeded among Lincoln cents by only a handful of dates. The 1964 Philadelphia production of 2,648,575,000 business strikes required an immense number of working dies, and the multi-impression hubbing technology in use at the time meant that every die carried some probability of receiving a misaligned secondary impression. Doubled dies are classified by the type of hub shift that created them: Class I (rotated hub), Class II (distorted hub), Class III (design hub), Class IV (offset hub), Class V (pivoted hub), Class VI (distended hub), Class VII (modified hub), and Class VIII (tilted hub). Each WDDO number in the 1964 catalog represents one of these mechanisms acting on a specific die, producing a doubling pattern that is consistent and repeatable across all coins struck from that die. No cross-references, die markers, or expert attributions have been published for WDDO-030. Collectors pursuing a complete set of 1964 Philadelphia doubled dies should focus on acquiring high-grade uncirculated examples where the full die detail is preserved and the secondary hub impression can be examined in its entirety. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint on a 95% copper, 5% tin-zinc planchet weighing 3.11 grams at 19mm diameter.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References