1938 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-006

Description

Documented by the Wexler Team as 1938 1-cent WDDR-006, this Lincoln Wheat Cent displays strong extra thickness on E PLURIBUS UNUM (EPU), the dots separating the motto, and the top letters of ONE CENT, with the lower letters of OF AMERICA also showing thickened profiles. Additionally, a spread directed toward the center is visible on UNUM, both wheat ears, and both wheat stems — a convergent doubling pattern where the secondary hub impression shifted inward, creating a combination of extra thickness on some elements and directional spread on others within a single die. This dual-character doubling — simultaneous thickness and directional displacement — is similar to WDDR-001 for the same date but presents at a lesser intensity, suggesting a related but distinct hubbing event. The obverse die marker consists of a die scratch oriented west-northwest to east-southeast connecting the top of the O and D in GOD — a specific and readily identifiable marker that confirms the obverse die pairing. No reverse die markers beyond the doubling itself have been noted. Multiple cross-references exist for this variety: CONECA lists it as 2-R-VI, Coppercoins catalogs it as 1938P-1DR-001, and it carries the Wexler designation 1938 1-cent WDDR-006. The Lincoln Wheat Cent was designed by Victor David Brenner and struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1938 from 95% copper composition, weighing 3.11 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm. The 1938 Philadelphia issue had a mintage of approximately 156 million pieces, the final year before the introduction of the Jefferson Nickel replaced the Buffalo Nickel in the five-cent denomination, though the Wheat Cent design would continue for another two decades until 1958.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Al Raddi Cross References: CONECA: 2-R-VI, Coppercoins: 1938P-1DR-001
• CONECA: 2-R-VI, Coppercoins: 1938P-1DR-001; Wexler Variety ID: 1938 1¢ WDDR-006
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References