1942-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-003

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista with UVC-1538 and DMR-017, the 1942-D Lincoln Wheat Cent DDO-003 shows light spread on the date — a form of hub doubling where the numerals 1942 display subtle secondary impressions from a hub displacement during die production. Three documented die stages trace this die pair's production life: Stage A is unconfirmed EDS, Stage B shows both obverse and reverse at mid-die state (MDS), and Stage C is unconfirmed LDS. The progression from early through mid to late die state represents the complete service life of this die pair, with the MDS stage being the only confirmed state — likely because this represents the period when the most coins were struck from this die and thus the state most frequently encountered by collectors. The 1942-D was struck at the Denver Mint during the early stages of American involvement in World War II. While 1942 predates the wartime steel cent composition change by one year, production was already ramping up to meet the circulation demands of a wartime economy. Denver's 1942 cent mintage of 206,698,000 consumed numerous die pairs, and three documented DDOs for this date indicates that hub doubling events occurred across multiple dies. Light date spreads on Wheat Cents require careful examination under magnification, as the doubling may manifest as slightly thickened or notched serifs on the date numerals rather than clearly separated secondary images. The DMR-017 designation places this die within VarietyVista's die marriage registry, enabling researchers to track the obverse-reverse pairing and any associated varieties that share die partners.

Die Markers

• UVC-1538
• DMR-017
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by J. T. Stanton
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References