1942 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-006

Description

Sixth doubled die reverse cataloged for the 1942 Lincoln Wheat Cent, WDDR-006 is one of the earlier-numbered entries in what would grow to become one of the largest DDR populations for any single Wheat Cent date. The lower sequence number may reflect either earlier discovery or more pronounced doubling characteristics that brought it to researchers' attention sooner. Doubled die reverses on the 1942 Wheat Cent were created through the same hubbing process used throughout the series — a hardened hub was pressed into annealed working die steel in multiple passes, and any positional shift between passes permanently inscribed doubled design features into the die. The 1942 Philadelphia Mint was operating under wartime pressure, with the knowledge that the following year would bring the radical shift to zinc-coated steel planchets. This transitional moment — the last year of standard bronze composition before the emergency wartime change — makes every 1942 die variety a product of the final months of normal Wheat Cent production during the war years. Attributed by the Wexler Team under Wexler Variety ID: 1942 1¢ WDDR-006, this variety is part of the foundational catalog of wartime doubled dies that underpins the broader 1942 Wheat Cent variety landscape.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1942 1¢ WDDR-006
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References