1944-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-012

Description

Displaying a medium spread in the north direction visible on Lincoln's eyelid, this twelfth doubled die obverse for the 1944 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent documents a hubbing error that occurred during the die manufacturing process. Doubled dies form when a working die receives multiple impressions from the hub with slight misalignment between impressions, transferring a doubled image that appears on every coin struck from that die. The northward spread on the eyelid indicates the second hubbing shifted slightly upward relative to the first, creating a shadow-like duplication most visible on the fine detail of Lincoln's eye. Die markers include UVC-1637 and DMR-043, with three documented die stages: Stage A showing the obverse in Early to Mid Die State (EMDS) with the reverse in Late Die State (LDS), Stage B at Mid Die State (unconfirmed), and Stage C at Late Die State (unconfirmed). The 1944-D was produced during World War II when the Denver Mint was operating at maximum capacity to meet wartime demand, striking over 430 million cents on recycled shell casing copper planchets. Cataloged by VarietyVista, this DDO-012 represents one of twelve documented doubled die obverse varieties for the date — a substantial count reflecting both the high production volume and the extensive die variety research conducted on wartime Lincoln Cents.

Die Markers

• UVC-1637
• DMR-043
• Stage A:
• Obverse is EMDS
• Reverse is LDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jose Cortez
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References