1940 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-016

Description

This 1940 Lincoln Wheat cent DDR-016 displays light spread and extra thickness on E PLURIBUS, the wheat ears, and the stems on the reverse, a subtle doubled die effect cataloged by VarietyVista. Struck during the Great Depression era at the Philadelphia Mint, the coin is composed of 95% copper and 5% tin-zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a 19 mm diameter. Tracked under Universal Variety Code UVC-2583 and Die Marker Reference DMR-020, the die exhibits three documented states: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed); Stage B at mid die state where a light die crack extends from the right wheat ear to the rim and the obverse is also at MDS; and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The extra thickness on E PLURIBUS and the wheat ears is characteristic of minor Class II distorted hub doubling, where the hub and die were not perfectly aligned during one of the hubbing impressions. The wheat ear reverse, designed by Victor David Brenner, features two stylized wheat stalks flanking the legends ONE CENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and E PLURIBUS UNUM, with the stems and grain details providing numerous fine elements where slight doubling can be detected. The 1940 Philadelphia cent had a mintage of over 586 million pieces, but doubled die varieties remain scarce as a percentage of total production. This variety is part of the Lincoln Wheat Cents 1909-1958 series.

Die Markers

• UVC-2583
• DMR-020
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Light die crack from Right wheat to rim – MDS
• Obverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References