1940-D Doubled Die Reverse DDR-002

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista with UVC-1457 and DMR-010, the 1940-D DDR-002 is a Lincoln Wheat cent doubled die reverse variety struck at the Denver Mint. The coin was produced in the standard pre-1943 bronze composition of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a 19 mm diameter. Denver struck 81,390,000 cents in 1940, a substantial production run that reflects the increasing demand for small change as the American economy recovered from the Great Depression. The doubling on DDR-002 presents as medium spread with extra thickness on E PLURIBUS UNUM and the upper wheat ears, with light extra thickness on the lower stems and AMERICA. The medium spread on the motto and wheat ear elements provides good pickup points under magnification, while the lighter doubling on the stems and AMERICA requires more careful examination. Three die stages have been documented: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B with both reverse and obverse at mid die state, and Stage C with both sides at late die state. The progression through these stages allows collectors to determine the approximate point in the die's working life when their specimen was produced. The DMR-010 die marker reference provides additional identifying characteristics specific to this die pairing. Victor David Brenner's wheat ears reverse, with its paired stalks of wheat flanking the denomination and motto, offered numerous design elements where the multi-squeeze hubbing process of the era could produce detectable doubling. The 1940-D date represents a point in Lincoln cent production when Denver was producing significant quantities, and the DDR-002 variety documents one of the doubled die reverse dies used during that year's coinage operations at the Denver facility.

Die Markers

• UVC-1457
• DMR-010
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Reverse and Obverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Larry Patterson
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References