1920-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Anchoring the Wexler doubled die obverse catalog for the 1920-S Lincoln Wheat Cent, WDDO-001 presents a strong extra eyelid positioned well to the southeast of the main eyelid on Victor David Brenner's portrait of Abraham Lincoln. No significant die markers have been noted on either the obverse or reverse, making the doubled eyelid itself the primary — and in this case, highly distinctive — attribution characteristic. The strong intensity classification combined with the clear southeast displacement creates a doubled eyelid that is unusually prominent: rather than a subtle secondary line requiring high magnification, this variety produces a well-defined extra eyelid clearly visible below and to the right of the primary eyelid, with enough separation to be resolved at moderate magnification. The southeast direction indicates the secondary hub impression displaced Lincoln's facial features downward and to the right, and the eyelid — being among the finest and most displacement-sensitive engraved lines on the die — registered this offset as a cleanly separated secondary eyelid while broader facial contours may show less obvious doubling. As WDDO-001, this variety holds the primary Wexler catalog position for the 1920-S, marking it as the most significant documented obverse hub doubling for this date-mint combination. The 1920-S Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the San Francisco Mint in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) at 3.11 grams, and the 1920-S carries better-date status within the Lincoln Wheat Cent series due to its more moderate mintage relative to Philadelphia and Denver production. Brenner's detailed portrait provides the anatomical precision necessary for eyelid variety attribution. The strong southeast displacement is best confirmed under 7x to 10x magnification focused on Lincoln's eye area, where the secondary eyelid is clearly resolved below and to the right of the primary line.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Dr. Daniel Griffin Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1920-S 1¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References