1989 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-003

Description

Elevated from light to medium doubling strength, the 1989 DDO-003 displays medium extra thickness on the date, representing a more pronounced hub doubling event than the light doubling seen on DDO-002. Cataloged by VarietyVista with reference codes UVC-2415 and DMR-004, this Philadelphia Mint doubled die obverse shows enough separation between primary and secondary hub impressions to produce noticeably thickened date digits visible under standard magnification. The medium classification indicates the doubling falls in the middle range — stronger than the subtle thickening of light varieties but short of the dramatic separation seen on the strongest doubled dies. In the die manufacturing process used during this era, working dies were created by pressing a hardened hub bearing the coin's design into an annealed die blank, sometimes requiring multiple impressions to fully sink the design. If the die or hub shifted between impressions, the resulting misalignment was permanently transferred to every coin struck from that die. The date area on Lincoln cents is a frequent location for observable doubling because the incuse numerals in the die are relatively isolated design elements where even minor displacement becomes apparent. Struck on copper-plated zinc planchets (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Die Markers

• UVC-2415; DMR-004

External References