1943 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-022

Description

Strong spread from weak hubbing on BERTY of LIBERTY and the 9 of the date distinguishes DDO-022 on the 1943 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent. Struck on zinc-coated steel planchets during World War II when copper was diverted for military ammunition, the 1943 steel cent represents one of the most distinctive compositional changes in United States coinage history. Cataloged as UVC-3296 and DMR-036, die stage B documents the obverse at mid-die-state with die cracks on the lapel and shoulder of Lincoln's portrait. The weak hubbing spread on BERTY creates visible secondary impressions on these letters of the motto, while the 9 in the date shows similar displacement. The die cracks traversing the lapel and shoulder at Stage B document progressive structural failure migrating across the portrait area. Die varieties on 1943 steel cents carry particular collector interest due to the unusual zinc-plated steel composition, which affects surface characteristics differently than the standard bronze alloy used before and after the wartime emergency. The combination of BERTY and date doubling with portrait-area die cracks creates a multi-zone diagnostic on this wartime steel cent.

Die Markers

• UVC-3296
• DMR-036
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Light die crack across lapel – MDS
• Very light die crack across shoulder
• Reverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References