1937 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Cross-referenced as both CONECA 3-O-II-C+VI and Wexler Variety ID 1937 1c WDDO-002, this Depression-era Lincoln Wheat Cent exhibits extra thickness on the date and LIBERTY, indicating the obverse hub was impressed into the working die with slight displacement between impressions. Attributed by the Wexler Team, the obverse die markers include a die gouge present on the upper area under the horizontal bar of the second T in TRUST, while the reverse shows a northeast-to-southwest die scratch running through the lower area of the A in STATES. The CONECA classification 3-O-II-C+VI indicates this is a Class II (pivot) combined with Class VI (distorted or tilted hub) doubling — two distinct hub misalignment mechanisms contributing to the final doubled image. The 1937 Lincoln Cent was struck during the Great Depression, when Philadelphia Mint production had recovered somewhat from the extremely low mintages of the early 1930s (the 1931-S, for instance, remains a key date with only 866,000 struck). The 1937 date saw approximately 309.2 million cents produced, a volume that required numerous die pairs and generated correspondingly more opportunities for hubbing errors. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait, with its detailed hair, beard, and coat textures, provides ample surface area where the extra thickness from doubled hub impressions becomes diagnostically visible, particularly in the letters of LIBERTY where the serifs and stroke widths clearly show secondary impressions.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Whaden Curtis Cross References: CONECA: 3-O-II-C+VI
• CONECA: 3-O-II-C+VI; Wexler Variety ID: 1937 1¢ WDDO-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References