2016 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-011

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 2016 1-cent WDDO-011, this Lincoln Shield Cent exhibits moderate extra thickness on the letters of LIBERTY — a hub doubling pattern concentrated on the principal obverse motto where the inscription's raised letter forms amplify the visual effect of even moderate displacement between successive hub impressions. Obverse die markers include a small die chip on the center of the T in LIBERTY — positioned directly on one of the doubled letters, which adds a secondary identification point coinciding with the primary doubling — and a small die gouge south of the right side of the zero in the date. Reverse markers include a small die gouge between the R and I in AMERICA, a die chip on the top left of the shield north of the right side of the first U in PLURIBUS, and a small die chip north of the right side of the second U in PLURIBUS. The paired die chips flanking the two Us in PLURIBUS create a symmetrical marker set that aids reverse die identification. No external cross-references are currently known. The Lincoln Shield Cent, designed by Lyndall Bass for the reverse featuring a Union shield with thirteen vertical stripes, and Victor David Brenner for the obverse portrait, was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 2016. Composed of copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.5 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter, the 2016 cent was produced in multi-billion quantities. The 11th cataloged doubled die obverse for the 2016 date reflects the significant die inventory required for this production volume and the statistical inevitability of hub misalignment events across that population of working dies.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Steve Young Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2016 1¢ WDDO-011
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References