1938 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-003

Description

On the inaugural year of Victor David Brenner's enduring wheat cent design's final two decades, DDO-003 exhibits medium extra thickness concentrated on three obverse elements: the IN GOD WE TRUST motto, the LIB portion of LIBERTY, and the four-digit date. Die markers UVC-1405 and DMR-005 uniquely identify this working die. Three die stages have been documented: Stage A with both obverse and reverse in early die state showing no supplementary damage, Stage B transitioning to mid-die state on both sides, and Stage C reaching late die state with accumulated wear. The selective nature of the doubling — affecting IN GOD WE TRUST fully, only the LIB of LIBERTY rather than the complete word, and the date — reveals the precise geometry of the hub displacement vector during the secondary impression. LIB occupies the upper-left quadrant of the obverse while ERTY extends rightward, and the displacement apparently reached sufficient magnitude to produce medium-visible doubling only within the LIB zone, falling below the detection threshold on the remaining letters. The 1938 Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint without a mintmark, during a period of relatively modest mintages as the Great Depression's economic effects lingered. Collectors examining specimens for DDO-003 should focus first on the date digits under 7x magnification, where the numeral outlines show the clearest medium-weight secondary image, then confirm against the partial LIBERTY spread before checking UVC-1405 die markers for definitive attribution.

Die Markers

• UVC-1405
• DMR-005
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References