1942 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-006

Description

Exhibiting strong spread east across multiple reverse elements, this 1942 Lincoln Wheat Cent doubled die reverse affects ON of ONE, CEN of CENT, ED of UNITED, STA of STATES, and MER of AMERICA — an unusually broad distribution spanning nearly the entire reverse legend. Cataloged by VarietyVista under UVC-1532 and DMR-017, three die stages are recorded: Stage A with both reverse and obverse in early die state, Stage B in mid-die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C in late die state (unconfirmed). The strong eastward spread makes this variety identifiable under moderate magnification, as the consistent directional displacement across five word fragments creates a pattern visible even to developing attributors. The 1942 Philadelphia Wheat Cent represents the last full year of standard copper-alloy cent production before the wartime transition to zinc-coated steel in 1943, making die varieties from 1942 the final examples of doubled dies on the traditional bronze composition until copper returned in 1944. Six documented DDRs for this date attest to active variety study of this pivotal pre-war year in Lincoln Cent production.

Die Markers

• UVC-1532
• DMR-017
• Stage A:
• Reverse and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bob Piazza
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References