1926 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

One of the most anatomically specific doubled die varieties in the Lincoln Wheat Cent series, WDDO-003 on the 1926 Philadelphia issue produces an extra eyelid visible southeast of Lincoln's main eyelid — a secondary impression of the eyelid contour displaced slightly downward and to the right, creating the unmistakable appearance of a doubled eye. Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1926 1¢ WDDO-003 with no other known cross-references, this variety localizes its entire visible doubling to a single facial feature on Victor David Brenner's right-facing Lincoln portrait. The southeast displacement direction means the secondary eyelid sits below and to the right of the primary, producing a stacked effect most apparent on the lower lid where the secondary line emerges from beneath the main contour. Eyelid doubling is one of the most popular and visually accessible diagnostic categories among Lincoln Cent doubled dies because the human eye is naturally trained to recognize facial asymmetry — even slight doubling on an eyelid registers immediately as "something wrong" during casual inspection, making these varieties among the easiest to cherrypick from circulation or dealer inventories. The 1926 Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) at the Philadelphia Mint during a period of moderate mintages. Brenner's portrait positions the eye prominently enough that the southeast extra eyelid can typically be confirmed under 5x to 7x magnification without difficulty. No significant obverse or reverse die markers have been noted, placing the attribution weight entirely on the eyelid doubling itself.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Dr. Daniel Griffin Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1926 1¢ WDDO-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References