1939 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1939 1¢ WDDO-003 and extensively cross-referenced as CONECA 5-O-II-C+VI and Coppercoins 1939P-1DO-003, this Lincoln Wheat Cent displays a spread toward the center on IGWE (IN GOD WE with emphasis on the inward-directed displacement) and lightly on the frontal hair of Lincoln's portrait, with extra thickness on LIBERTY and the date. The CONECA Class II-C+VI designation indicates a combination of Distorted Hub Doubling and Distended Hub Doubling — two distinct mechanisms acting together during the hubbing process, producing a complex pattern where the doubling varies in character across different zones of the die face. Obverse die markers include a die chip inside the lower area of the O in GOD and a short, weak die scratch running west from the left center of the O in GOD — two features concentrated in the same letter that create a localized diagnostic cluster. The reverse exhibits horizontal V-shaped die scratches between the O of ONE and PL of PLURIBUS — a distinctive angular mark formed by two intersecting scratches that creates an easily recognizable identification point. The 1939 Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) weighing 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. Victor David Brenner designed the obverse portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the wheat ears reverse served from 1909 through 1958. The triple cross-reference across Wexler, CONECA, and Coppercoins confirms this as a well-recognized variety, and the dual-mechanism CONECA classification reflects the complex interaction between multiple hubbing anomaly types that can occur simultaneously. The frontal hair doubling adds a portrait-based diagnostic to the inscription-based doubling on IGWE and LIBERTY, providing both text and image verification pathways for attribution.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Whaden Curtis Cross References: CONECA: 5-O-II-C+VI, Coppercoins: 1939P-1DO-003
• CONECA: 5-O-II-C+VI, Coppercoins: 1939P-1DO-003; Wexler Variety ID: 1939 1¢ WDDO-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References