1943 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-015

Description

Cataloged as UVC-1571, DMR-027, this 1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck on zinc-coated steel planchets, the wartime composition adopted to conserve copper for military needs. DDO-015 exhibits strong but lightly hubbed spread South, most prominently visible as an extra eyelid on Lincoln's portrait. Three die stages are documented: Stage A in Early Die State (unconfirmed); Stage B in Mid Die State, identified by a die crack running southeast from the E of STATES to the rim and die chips on the stem of the T of CENT; and Stage C in Late Die State (unconfirmed). The zinc-coated steel composition makes 1943 Lincoln cents distinctive both visually and metallurgically, as the steel substrate is prone to corrosion once the thin zinc coating wears through. Philadelphia struck over 684 million steel cents in 1943, the highest mintage of the three-mint wartime issue. The extra eyelid diagnostic on DDO-015 is a classic example of southward hub doubling, where the secondary impression falls below the primary design. Stage B specimens offer the most confident attribution thanks to the die crack from STATES and the telltale chips on T of CENT.

Die Markers

• UVC-1571
• DMR-027
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse is MDS
• Die crack from E of STATES Southeast to rim – LDS
• Die chips on stem of the T of CENT
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bill McMurray
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References