1965 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-005

Description

Confirmed as a Special Mint Set discovery, the 1965 WDDO-005 is the fifth cataloged Wexler doubled die obverse for this date and the second SMS-confirmed doubled die in the 1965 Lincoln cent catalog. Like all 1965 SMS coins, this variety was struck at the Philadelphia Mint using dies prepared with greater care than business strike dies, producing coins with enhanced detail and a distinctive semi-proof surface quality that was intended to satisfy collector demand during the three-year suspension of traditional proof coinage. The 1965 SMS mintage of 2,360,000 sets represents a tiny fraction of the year's total cent output of nearly 1.5 billion business strikes, and finding a doubled die variety among SMS coins adds another layer of scarcity to an already limited population. Hub doubling on SMS dies occurs through the same mechanical process as on business strike dies — misalignment between successive hub impressions during die manufacture — but the enhanced striking characteristics of SMS production can make the doubled image present differently on the finished coin compared to its appearance on a business strike from a similarly doubled die. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1965 1¢ WDDO-005 with the comment noting this variety was found in a 1965 Special Mint Set. Attributed by the Wexler Team. The absence of mint marks on 1965 SMS coins — despite their production at San Francisco — is a direct consequence of the Coinage Act of 1965, which eliminated mint marks to prevent collectors from differentiating mint facilities and selectively hoarding coins from lower-production mints. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

Attribution History

• Discovered by James C. Moreland Cross References: None known Comments: This variety was found in a 1965 Special Mint Set.
• None known Comments: This variety was found in a 1965 Special Mint Set.; Wexler Variety ID: 1965 1¢ WDDO-005
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References