1937 Lincoln Wheat Cent - Doubled Die Obverse DDO-007

Description

Medium spread across IN GOD WE TRUST coupled with light spread on 937 of the date characterizes DDO-007, one of the deeper-catalog doubled die obverses on the 1937 Lincoln Wheat Cent. Die markers UVC-1376 and DMR-010 anchor the attribution with four documented stages of die life: Stage A at Early Die State (unconfirmed), Stage B at Mid Die State (unconfirmed), Stage C showing the obverse at Late-to-Mid Die State with a die crack running from the upper right wheat grains to the rim, and Stage D at Late Die State (unconfirmed). Philadelphia struck 309,179,320 Lincoln Cents in 1937, a substantial Depression-era output that provided ample material for variety hunters. VarietyVista's notes indicate the need for a specimen for new color photographs and die stage verification — a common request for varieties where existing documentation relies on older imaging technology or incomplete die state coverage. The four-stage progression is noteworthy: the Stage C die crack from wheat grains to rim documents structural failure beginning in a high-stress area where the deeply incised wheat ear design created natural fracture initiation points. Collectors seeking DDO-007 should examine the motto IN GOD WE TRUST first, where the medium spread provides the strongest visual diagnostic before confirming the lighter date doubling on 937.

Die Markers

• UVC-1376
• DMR-010
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Obverse is LMDS
• Die crack from upper Right wheat grains to rim – LMDS
• Stage D:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

External References