1937 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-004

Description

Documented by the Wexler Team with no other known cross-references, WDDO-004 on the 1937 Philadelphia Mercury dime presents a Class II spread towards the center on the date. Class II distorted hub doubling on date numerals typically manifests as an apparent compression or thickening of the digits, as the design elements shift inward from their normal positions. Obverse die markers for this variety are concentrated in the LIBERTY inscription: a WSW/ENE die gouge runs through the lower L, with short die gouges protruding from the lower left of the I, the lower left of the B, and the lower left of the E. This pattern of die gouges along the bottom of multiple LIBERTY letters suggests a single mechanical event — possibly contact with a foreign object or tooling mark — that left a series of aligned impressions. The reverse diagnostic is a die scratch running from WNW to ESE through the ES of STATES and the upper dot adjacent to the O in OF. Adolph Weinman's Mercury dime design, in production from 1916 to 1945, featured intricate obverse detail with the winged Liberty cap, fasces, and delicate lettering that make doubled die detection both challenging and rewarding. The 1937 Philadelphia issue, with a mintage of over 56 million, provided ample production volume from which multiple working die pairs — and thus multiple potential doubled die varieties — were generated.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1937 10¢ WDDO-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References