1944-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-028

Description

Near the upper end of the known 1944-D DDO sequence, WDDO-028 was cataloged by the Wexler Team and carries cross-reference Wexler Variety ID: 1944-D 1¢ WDDO-028. The twenty-eighth documented doubled die obverse for this single date-mint combination speaks to the extraordinary scale of Denver's 1944 cent production — over 430 million pieces struck on shell-case copper planchets derived from recycled military ammunition brass. At that production volume, potentially thousands of individual obverse dies were required, and the probability of hubbing misalignment, however small per die, accumulated across the entire die population. Higher-numbered DDO varieties like WDDO-028 typically represent more subtle doubling expressions, often requiring careful magnification and known die marker comparisons for positive attribution. The wartime-composition planchets struck from these dies carry a distinctive appearance: slightly lighter in color than pre-war bronze, with a tendency toward olive-gold toning that distinguishes them from both the 1943 zinc-coated steel cents and the standard pre-1943 95% copper alloy. Collectors pursuing the complete 1944-D DDO set face the challenge of locating and correctly attributing nearly thirty distinct varieties, many differing only in which specific letters or date digits carry the primary doubling.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1944-D 1¢ WDDO-028
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References