1944 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-012

Description

Twelfth in the Wexler Team's sequence of 1944 doubled die obverses, WDDO-012 emerges from a date that produced the highest Philadelphia cent mintage in the entire Wheat Cent era — over 1.43 billion pieces struck on shell-case brass planchets reclaimed from spent military cartridge casings. At that production volume, Philadelphia consumed hundreds of obverse dies throughout the year, each requiring multiple hub impressions during manufacture. Cataloged as Wexler Variety ID: 1944 1¢ WDDO-012. The shell-case brass alloy — approximately 70% copper and 30% zinc — struck somewhat differently than the standard 95/5 bronze composition, potentially affecting how doubling manifests visually on the finished coin surface. Without published die markers or competing cross-references, identification of WDDO-012 requires direct comparison of the observed doubling pattern on IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, and the date against the Wexler Team's reference photographs for this specific variety.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1944 1¢ WDDO-012
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References