1940-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Third obverse doubled die documented for the 1940-D Mercury dime, WDDO-003 exhibits a Class II (Distorted Hub) spread directed toward the center, visible on the date. Adolph A. Weinman's "Winged Liberty Head" design — commonly called the Mercury dime despite depicting Liberty wearing a winged cap symbolizing freedom of thought rather than the Roman god Mercury — places the date at the lower right of the obverse beneath Liberty's neck truncation, where Class II distortion manifests as an inward-directed displacement of the secondary hub impression. Class II Distorted Hub Doubling occurs when the working hub itself is slightly distorted rather than misaligned relative to the die, producing a spread pattern where the secondary image converges toward the design center with the degree of displacement varying by position. Denver struck approximately 21.56 million Mercury dimes in 1940, a modest production total during the late Depression era. Reverse die markers provide crucial secondary diagnostics: numerous east-west die scratches run through UNITED, and a vertical die scratch appears to the left of the D in DIME — two distinct linear diagnostics that fingerprint this specific die pair. No significant obverse die markers were noted beyond the doubling itself. The Wexler Team cataloged this variety under Wexler Variety ID: 1940-D 10¢ WDDO-003 with no additional cross-references from other attribution systems. Mercury dimes remain one of the most popular series for variety collecting, and the 1940-D date offers an accessible entry point with moderate mintage and strong collector interest. Collectors should examine the date numerals under 15-20x magnification for the center-directed Class II displacement, then verify the reverse by locating the die scratches through UNITED and beside the D of DIME.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1940-D 10¢ WDDO-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References