2019 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-034

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 2019 1¢ WDDO-034, this doubled die obverse variety appears on a 2019 Lincoln Shield cent struck at the Philadelphia Mint. The Lincoln Shield cent, introduced in 2010 with a reverse design by Lyndall Bass featuring a union shield with a banner reading ONE CENT, is struck in copper-plated zinc weighing 2.5 grams with a 19 mm diameter and a plain edge. The doubling on WDDO-034 manifests as sloped extra thickness on LIBERTY and extra thickness on the date, two of the most prominent design elements on Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait of Abraham Lincoln. The characterization as "sloped extra thickness" suggests the doubling has a directional component where the thickening varies across the inscription rather than appearing uniform, indicating the hub displacement had an angular element during the hubbing process. Obverse die markers include a small die chip below and to the left of the digit two in the date, providing a useful screening diagnostic. The reverse carries several markers: a die chip to the left of the top of the left upright of the U in UNITED, light die scratches running downward and left from UN of UNITED, and a die chip below the middle crossbar of the E in UNITED. The clustering of reverse die markers around the word UNITED suggests this area of the reverse die experienced particular surface stress or contamination. No cross-references to other reverse varieties have been established, though the notation "None known Reverse Varieties" in the cross-reference field suggests the Wexler Team specifically checked for companion reverse doubled dies on this die pair. The high sequential number WDDO-034 for the 2019 date demonstrates the continuing prolific production of doubled die varieties in the modern Shield cent series, as contemporary variety hunters systematically examine new issues from both mint facilities.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Steve Young Cross References: None known Reverse Varieties
• None known Reverse Varieties; Wexler Variety ID: 2019 1¢ WDDO-034
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References