1944-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-003

Description

The third-ranked doubled die obverse for the 1944-D Lincoln Wheat Cent, the DDO-003 exhibits a medium spread creating an extra eyelid directed southeast — the secondary impression displaced both downward and to the right of the primary. Cataloged by VarietyVista as UVC-1621 with die marriage reference DMR-024, three die states document the die's progression: Stage A in early die state remains unconfirmed, Stage B at early-to-mid die state develops two parallel die scratches running northwest from the first 4 of the date while the reverse reaches mid-die state, and Stage C in late die state remains unconfirmed. The parallel die scratches at EMDS provide both a stage indicator and a die marker, and the notation that the mint mark is positioned higher than on DDO-009 provides a comparative diagnostic for distinguishing between varieties. The 1944-D Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Denver Mint in brass composition from recycled military shell casings, and the southeast directionality of the extra eyelid distinguishes this from other doubled dies where the spread moves in different vectors. The die marriage number (DMR-024) indicates this was the twenty-fourth documented die pairing for the 1944-D date, reflecting the massive Denver Mint wartime production.

Die Markers

• UVC-1621
• DMR-024
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Two parallel die scratches Northwest from first 4 of date – EMDS
• Reverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bill McMurray
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References