1935 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1935 1¢ WDDO-003, this Lincoln Wheat Cent presents a remarkable doubled die obverse featuring two extra eyelids visible below Lincoln’s normal eyelid, combined with a very close clockwise spread from a pivot point at 3:00 showing on the LIBE of LIBERTY. The dual extra eyelids represent an unusually strong manifestation of hub doubling in the fine facial detail area, where the portrait’s delicate eyelid lines readily reveal even modest displacement between successive hub impressions. Obverse die markers include a die gouge dot in the hair south of WE, a die gouge dot in the field north of the R in LIBERTY, a die scratch running north-northeast from the top of the L in LIBERTY, and a series of weak east-west die scratches through the upper ear. Reverse markers include south-southwest die gouges near the rim at the 1:30 and 2:00 positions and a die crack running down the right side of the vertical bar of the T in CENT. No additional cross-references are currently known. The clockwise spread from a 3:00 pivot produces doubling that increases in magnitude with distance from the right-center pivot point, concentrating visible effects on the left side of the design where LIBE of LIBERTY sits furthest from the rotation axis. The Lincoln Wheat Cent was designed by Victor David Brenner for the obverse portrait, struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1935 during the Great Depression in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) weighing 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. The wheat ears reverse served the denomination from 1909 through 1958. The combination of facial doubling (extra eyelids) and inscription doubling (LIBE) from a single pivoted hub event creates a variety with multiple attribution zones spanning both portrait and text elements.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1935 1¢ WDDO-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References