1939 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team, the 1939 Mercury Dime WDDO-001 displays a spread towards the center on the date digits. While no significant obverse die markers have been identified, the reverse provides two useful identification features: a short east-west die gouge running through the upper left of the U in UNITED, and a short die gouge extending southwest from the upper left of the N in UNITED. No cross-references to other attribution systems are currently known. Adolph Weinman's Mercury Dime design, with its detailed fasces reverse and the Winged Liberty obverse, provides excellent surfaces for detecting hub doubling on the relatively small 17.9mm diameter coin. The centripetal spread pattern on the date means the doubling shows as a slight compression or thickening of the numerals rather than full separation, requiring careful examination under magnification. The specific reverse die gouges affecting U and N in UNITED provide reliable secondary markers once a candidate coin showing date doubling is identified.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1939 10¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References