1937 Lincoln Wheat Cent - Doubled Die Obverse VDDO-017

Description

Listed by VarietyVista with provisional die markers (UVC and DMR numbers pending formal assignment), VDDO-017 on the 1937 Lincoln Wheat Cent exhibits medium spread on GOD WE TRUST — three of the four words in the obverse motto IN GOD WE TRUST — accompanied by light spread on the final three digits 937 of the date. The medium-on-motto, light-on-date distribution reveals the hub displacement vector's orientation: strongest effect on the upper-left region of the obverse where the motto is positioned, with diminishing intensity downward and to the right where the date sits at the base of the coin, consistent with a displacement centered on or near the motto area. The omission of IN from the affected motto words suggests the first word fell near the displacement null zone — the pivot point or axis around which the hub rotated or shifted — receiving too little offset to cross the detection threshold. Three die stages are documented with specific diagnostics: Stages A (EDS) and B (MDS) are unconfirmed, while Stage C documents Late Die State with a die gouge above the last T of TRUST and corresponding LDS characteristics on the reverse die. The die gouge above the terminal T provides a critical attribution checkpoint for Stage C specimens, as it represents a progressive die failure feature that developed only after extended use. The 1937 Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 95% copper / 5% tin-zinc composition at 3.11 grams, with Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait on the obverse — the same design in continuous use since 1909. The provisional cataloging status (indicated by question marks in the UVC and DMR fields) suggests this variety was documented before formal numbering was completed in the VarietyVista system.

Die Markers

• UVC-????
• DMR-0??
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Die gouge above last T of TRUST –
• LDS
• Reverse is LDS

External References