1964 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as WDDO-002 (Wexler Variety ID: 1964 1¢ Pr WDDO-002), this doubled die obverse variety occurs on proof strikes from the 1964 Philadelphia Mint production. The 3,950,762 proof Lincoln cents struck in 1964 were manufactured under conditions fundamentally different from business strikes: proof dies received special preparation including chrome plating and polishing to produce mirror-like fields, were used at lower press speeds with higher striking pressure, and had a working life of approximately 3,000 impressions before replacement — a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of strikes expected from a business strike die. This dramatically shorter die life means that proof doubled die varieties were struck in much smaller quantities than their business strike counterparts, as each die produced far fewer coins before being retired. The doubled die obverse was created during the die manufacturing process when the obverse working hub was impressed into the proof die blank with a slight positional shift between impressions, embedding a secondary design image that then appeared on every proof cent struck from that die. Proof doubled dies are particularly prized by collectors because the mirror-like fields and sharp detail of proof strikes can make the doubling more readily apparent than on business strikes, where the softer surfaces and lower striking pressure may reduce the visibility of subtle secondary images. No additional cross-references beyond the Wexler attribution are currently listed. Struck on a 95% copper and 5% tin-zinc planchet weighing 3.11 grams at 19mm diameter.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1964 1¢ Pr WDDO-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References