2006 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-030

Description

Thirtieth in the Wexler-documented obverse doubled die census for the 2006 Lincoln Memorial cent, WDDO-030 presents light extra thickness on the letters of LIBERTY accompanied by distinctive notches visible on the upper left portions of the letters E, R, T, and Y. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait has anchored the cent obverse since 1909, and by 2006 the Memorial reverse designed by Frank Gasparro was in its penultimate years before the 2009 bicentennial redesign and 2010 Shield reverse transition. The notching pattern — where the upper left edges of letter strokes show angular displacement from the secondary hub impression — provides a practical diagnostic that can be verified under moderate magnification by examining the specific letterforms rather than relying on overall thickening alone. Obverse die markers include a small die gouge positioned well east of Lincoln's chin, while the reverse carries a die scratch inside the lower curve of the E in CENT, offering two independent confirmation points beyond the doubling itself. The Wexler Team cataloged this variety under Wexler Variety ID: 2006 1¢ WDDO-030, with no additional cross-references currently known from other attribution services. Philadelphia struck approximately 4.29 billion cents in 2006, a massive production volume that consumed hundreds of obverse dies and generated substantial opportunities for hub doubling events to occur and survive into production runs. The light classification indicates the doubling is subtle and requires careful examination — collectors should focus fiber-optic illumination on the upper left serifs and strokes of ERTY under 10-15x magnification, where the notches manifest as small angular steps in the letter profiles that distinguish this variety from normal strike characteristics.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Robert H. Neff Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2006 1¢ WDDO-030
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References