1944 Lincoln Wheat Cent - Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-024

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team and cross-referenced as 1944P-1DO-018, this doubled die obverse variety carries the designation 1944 1-cent WDDO-024 and appears on a 1944 Lincoln Wheat cent struck at the Philadelphia Mint. The 1944 cent was produced during World War II in the wartime brass composition of 95% copper and 5% zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a 19 mm diameter, following the emergency zinc-coated steel composition used in 1943. The primary doubling diagnostic on WDDO-024 manifests as extra eyelids visible above and below Lincoln's normal eyelid, a distinctive doubled die marker that places the doubling squarely on the portrait's facial detail. This eyelid doubling results from hub misalignment during one of the multiple squeeze hubbing impressions required to fully sink the design into the working die. Obverse die markers for attribution include a die scratch running northeast from the vest to the left of the date and horizontal die scratches running through the GO of GOD. The reverse carries multiple die scratches: one running southwest to northeast above the right wheat stem, another from the top of the C in CENT to the bottom of the O in ONE, and additional scratches scattered throughout the reverse design. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait obverse, with its detailed facial features including the eyelid area, provides a location where even minor hub doubling can produce visually appealing and diagnostically useful extra elements, making eyelid doubling one of the more sought-after characteristics among Lincoln cent doubled die collectors.

Cross References

• 1944P-1DO-018; Wexler Variety ID: 1944 1¢ WDDO-024

External References