1970-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-023

Description

Twenty-third in the Wexler doubled die obverse sequence for the 1970-S Lincoln Memorial cent, WDDO-023 appears here in the Small Date classification. No cross-references to CONECA, Crawford, or Coppercoins have been established, placing the documentation for this variety entirely within the Wexler attribution system. The 1970-S Small Date cent holds a singular position in Lincoln cent collecting — its association with the famous 1970-S Small Date DDO (one of the most valuable modern Lincoln cents) has made the Small Date variety a magnet for scrutiny, and this sustained attention has yielded an extraordinarily long list of doubled die obverses. Many of these varieties, including WDDO-023, exhibit subtle doubling that lacks the dramatic spread of the headline varieties but is nonetheless genuine evidence of hub misalignment during die manufacture. Attribution requires comparison against Wexler's die marker photographs, as the specific combination of doubling location, spread direction, and die surface characteristics distinguishes each numbered WDDO from its neighbors. The Small Date variety is identified by the uniform height of the date numerals — the 1, 9, 7, and 0 are roughly even across their tops — and the more rounded loop of the 9, contrasting with the Large Date's distinctively tall 7. Collectors pursuing comprehensive 1970-S doubled die sets will encounter WDDO-023 as part of a dense sequence where careful die marker matching is essential to avoid misattribution between adjacent catalog numbers.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John Conway Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1970-S 1¢ WDDO-023
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References