1970-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-047

Description

Forty-seventh in the Wexler doubled die obverse sequence for the 1970-S Lincoln Memorial cent, this Large Date regular strike entry extends a catalog that ranks among the most extensive for any single date in the Lincoln series. The scale of the 1970-S WDDO catalog invites reflection on the die preparation infrastructure behind it: San Francisco's hubbing operations used presses requiring multiple impressions to fully transfer the master hub's design into each working die, and alignment between impressions depended on mechanical guides, operator judgment, and the physical behavior of hardened steel under tons of pressure. Even with experienced operators and well-maintained equipment, the tolerances involved — fractions of a thousandth of an inch — meant some percentage of dies would inevitably receive measurably misaligned secondary impressions. No confirmed cross-references are known. The Large Date regular strike context places this variety in the mainstream of 1970-S cent production, where the majority of working dies served the Large Date business-strike requirement. Collectors searching for WDDO-047 should approach examination systematically, using consistent magnification and lighting angle across all specimens to ensure that subtle doubling is not dismissed as die wear or overlooked due to inconsistent viewing conditions.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bill Wilson Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1970-S 1¢ WDDO-047
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References