1940 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-020

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1940 1-cent WDDO-020 with no known cross-references, this Lincoln Wheat Cent doubled die obverse presents an extremely close Class II spread on TRUST and 40 in the date. The "extremely close" classification indicates the hub displacement was minimal — producing doubling that sits very near the primary image rather than showing wide separation — while the Class II designation identifies this as distorted hub doubling where the secondary impression exhibits slight distortion relative to the primary. The limitation of visible doubling to just TRUST and the final two digits of the date suggests the hub displacement vector aligned in a direction that produced maximum offset at those specific positions on the die face while falling below detection thresholds elsewhere. Obverse die markers are extensive: criss-crossing die scratches running through and above the front of Lincoln's hairline, two vertical die scratches from in front of the chin to under the nose, and several mostly vertical die scratches above 19 in the date. The reverse shows horizontal die scratches under IBUS in PLURIBUS. The Lincoln Wheat Cent was designed by Victor David Brenner and struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 95% copper with 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams at 19.05 mm diameter. As the twentieth documented DDO for the 1940 date, WDDO-020 demonstrates the substantial number of working dies Philadelphia employed to produce the year's large cent mintage — each die representing an independent opportunity for hub misalignment during manufacture. The criss-crossing die scratches at the hairline provide the fastest attribution pick-up point before confirming the extremely close spread on TRUST and 40.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Whaden Curtis Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1940 1¢ WDDO-020
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References