2013 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-012

Description

Twelfth in the Wexler-documented obverse doubled die census for the 2013 Lincoln Shield cent, WDDO-012 exhibits extra thickness on LIBERTY and slight thickening on the date, with distinctive notching visible on the lower left portions of E, R, T, and Y in LIBERTY. The notching diagnostic is particularly useful because it produces a sawtooth-like irregularity along the letter edges that is distinct from the smooth contours of a normal strike, providing a quick visual checkpoint before confirming the broader doubling pattern. Lyndall Bass's Shield reverse, introduced in 2010, replaced the Lincoln Memorial and Bicentennial designs with a union shield motif, while Victor David Brenner's Lincoln obverse portrait has remained essentially unchanged since 1909. The obverse die markers are listed as not significant, but the reverse carries a valuable diagnostic: a die crack running along the left side of the top of the shield, which serves as an independent fingerprint for identifying this specific working die pair. The Wexler Team cataloged this under Wexler Variety ID: 2013 1¢ WDDO-012, with no additional cross-references currently known from other attribution services. Philadelphia struck approximately 3.75 billion cents in 2013, a massive production volume that consumed hundreds of working die pairs and statistically increased the probability of hub doubling events surviving into circulation. Collectors should direct fiber-optic illumination at the lower-left serifs and strokes of ERTY in LIBERTY at 10-15x magnification, looking for the distinctive stepped notching pattern, then verify the reverse die crack along the shield top to confirm the correct die marriage.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Stephen Young Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2013 1¢ WDDO-012
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References