1944 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 standard bronze composition of 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, weighing 3.11 grams with a 19 mm diameter, following the emergency zinc-coated steel composition used in 1943. Philadelphia struck 1,435,400,000 cents in 1944, the highest single-mint cent production up to that point in the series. 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.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Keith Christenson Cross References: 1944P-1DO-018
• 1944P-1DO-018; Wexler Variety ID: 1944 1¢ WDDO-024
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References