1937 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-006

Description

A strongly doubled eyelid appears north of the primary eyelid on Lincoln's portrait, accompanied by a lighter doubled eyelid east of the primary, making this 1937 wheat cent WDDO-006 one of the more diagnostically distinctive DDO varieties in the late-1930s cent census. The Wexler Team attributed this die as 1937 1¢ WDDO-006 with no additional cross-references. Obverse die markers include die scratches running NNE from Lincoln's eye and extensive swirling die scratches throughout the face, ear, neck, hair, and into the field behind the head, creating a distinctive surface texture that fingerprints this specific obverse die. The reverse carries a die chip appearing as a dot centered between the second U in PLURIBUS and the rim. The doubled eyelid diagnostic is particularly compelling because it affects a focal point of the portrait that draws natural attention, making this variety potentially identifiable even at lower magnification than many DDO listings require. The 1937 Philadelphia cent had a mintage of 309.6 million pieces, produced during the late Depression era when industrial recovery was gaining momentum but economic uncertainty still persisted. Lincoln wheat cents from 1937 are readily available in most grades, as the date was saved in substantial quantities by contemporary collectors during the early decades of the penny board and blue folder collecting era. The swirling die scratches noted as obverse markers suggest this die experienced significant surface preparation or polishing that left characteristic marks, and their presence across such a broad area of the obverse -- from face to field -- makes misidentification with another 1937 DDO variety unlikely.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Al Raddi Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1937 1¢ WDDO-006
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References