2006 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-020

Description

Extra thickness visible on LIBERTY — with distinct notches along the upper left serifs of the E, R, T, and Y — places this twentieth documented doubled die obverse for the 2006 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Memorial Cent among the more diagnostically rich varieties for the date. The doubling also manifests on the lower hair and beard details of Lincoln's portrait and across the numerals of the date. A small die gouge resembling a dot sits just south of the I in LIBERTY on the obverse, serving as a primary die marker for attribution. An additional die scratch runs southwest from the center of the back of Lincoln's head. No significant reverse die markers have been noted. Cross-referenced under Wexler Variety ID: 2006 1¢ WDDO-020 and attributed by the Wexler Team, this variety appeared during the final three years of Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse, which had been in continuous production since 1959. The sheer volume of doubled die obverses cataloged for 2006 alone — at least twenty — reflects both the enormous Philadelphia Mint cent output and the intensive scrutiny applied by die variety researchers to late-era Memorial Cents before the design changeover in 2009.

Attribution History

• Discovered by William Obdyke Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2006 1¢ WDDO-020
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References