1943 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-010

Description

Manifesting as an extra eyelid and spread on the 9 of the date, this tenth documented doubled die obverse for the 1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent shows medium southward spread — tracked by VarietyVista under die markers UVC-1555 and DMR-011. The Stage A die state is documented as early mid-die state (EMDS) for both obverse and reverse, Stages B (MDS) and C (LDS) remain unconfirmed. The 1943 Lincoln Cent holds a unique place in American numismatic history as the only year the denomination was struck in zinc-coated steel rather than bronze, a wartime measure to conserve copper for military use during World War II. The steel composition gives 1943 cents their distinctive silvery appearance, and the different metallurgical properties of the planchets interacted with the dies in ways distinct from the bronze composition used before and after. Extra eyelid doubling — where a secondary impression creates a visible second eyelid line below Lincoln's normal eyelid — is among the most recognizable forms of doubled die variety on Lincoln Cents because the portrait detail is sufficiently large to be visible under modest magnification. The southward direction of the spread means the secondary hub impression was slightly lower than the first, pushing the eyelid image downward to create the extra line. Ten DDO varieties for the 1943 date reflects the high production volume at Philadelphia during the war years.

Die Markers

• UVC-1555
• DMR-011
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EMDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References