1944 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-005

Description

Documented by the Wexler Team on a wartime Mercury Dime, this fifth doubled die obverse for the 1944 date shows a spread towards the center on the date digits, Adolph Weinman's designer initials (AW), and lightly on IN GOD WE TRUST. A spread towards the center indicates that the secondary hub impression was slightly smaller or contracted relative to the primary impression, causing design elements to appear to thicken inward — the hallmark of hub doubling where dimensional variation between impressions creates the doubled image. Die markers include a small die gouge (dot) to the right of the upper 9 in the date on the obverse, and a small die gouge (dot) inside the lower A in STATES on the reverse, providing precise attribution points for cherry-pickers. The full Wexler designation is 1944 10-cent WDDO-005, with no other cross-references currently known. The 1944 Mercury Dime was struck in 90% silver during the height of World War II, when U.S. Mint production was operating at wartime capacity across all three facilities. Weinman's Liberty head design, commonly called the Mercury Dime despite depicting Winged Liberty rather than the Roman god, was in its twenty-eighth year of production and would continue only one more year before being replaced by the Roosevelt Dime in 1946. The designer's initials AW, located at the base of Liberty's neck, are among the affected design elements — a detail that adds attribution depth since the initials are small enough that doubling on them confirms a significant hub shift. WDDO-005 represents a collectible wartime variety on one of America's most beloved coin designs.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Terry Hess Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1944 10¢ WDDO-005
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References