1939 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-012

Description

A light doubled eyelid south of Lincoln's primary eyelid, accompanied by a distinctive pattern of die scratches on both sides of the coin, identifies this twelfth Wexler-cataloged doubled die obverse for the 1939 Lincoln Wheat Cent. The obverse carries heavy east-west die scratches inside the upper area of the ear with lighter east-west scratches below, while the reverse shows a long northeast-southwest die scratch through the left dot and long die scratches running south from the center of the last A in AMERICA. This rich set of die markers provides multiple independent confirmation points for attribution. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 1939 1-cent WDDO-012 with no other known cross-references, this entry was documented by the Wexler Team. The doubled eyelid — where the hub's second impression displaced Lincoln's eyelid detail slightly south of its first position — is a subtle variety requiring careful magnification to distinguish from the normal eyelid structure. The 1939 Philadelphia Mint cent was produced on the eve of World War II, at a time when American coinage production was operating at relatively normal peacetime levels. Twelve Wexler-documented doubled die obverses for a single date demonstrates the variety density possible when a die design has been in continuous use for three decades (since 1909) and millions of collectors have examined specimens under magnification. The die scratch patterns in the ear area and across AMERICA provide the rapid visual diagnostics that experienced attributors use to identify WDDO-012 without needing to examine the eyelid doubling first.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1939 1¢ WDDO-012
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References