1964 Proof Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-042

Description

Identified as the Proof-prefixed title variant of WDDO-042, this 1964 proof doubled die obverse variety was struck from the 3,950,762 proof Lincoln cents produced at the Philadelphia Mint during the final year of traditional Philadelphia proof production. Hub doubling on proof dies is mechanically identical to hub doubling on business strike dies — a misalignment between successive hubbing impressions during die manufacture — but the mirror-like fields and frosted devices characteristic of proof coins create a distinctive visual context for the doubled image. On the obverse, no significant die markers have been recorded beyond the doubled die pattern itself. The reverse provides a valuable attribution aid: a die scratch runs ESE from the bottom right of the N in UNITED, offering collectors a secondary confirmation point independent of the doubling. Die scratches are incised lines in the die steel that appear as raised lines on the struck coin, and their specific location, direction, and length serve as fingerprints unique to an individual die. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1964 1¢ Pr WDDO-042 and attributed by the Wexler Team. For collectors working through 1964 proof sets in search of varieties, the reverse die scratch from the N in UNITED can serve as an efficient screening marker — checking the reverse first for the scratch is faster than examining the entire obverse for subtle doubling, and finding the scratch narrows the identification to this specific die. Struck on a polished 3.11-gram, 19mm bronze planchet of 95% copper and 5% tin-zinc.

Die Markers

• Obverse: None significant. Reverse: A die scratch runs ESE from the bottom right of the N in UNITED.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References