1944-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-008

Description

Displaying medium triple spread in the north and east directions on Lincoln's eyelid, this eighth doubled die obverse for the 1944-S Lincoln Wheat Cent captures a distinctly localized hub doubling event concentrated on a small but diagnostically significant facial feature. Cataloged in the VarietyVista system as UVC-1657 with DMR-025, DDO-008 has three documented die states: Stage A in early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B showing the reverse listed as DDR-007 in mid-die state with the obverse also in MDS, and Stage C in late die state (unconfirmed). The die marriage with DDR-007 creates a dual-doubled coin — both sides carrying hub doubling — which significantly increases collector interest. The triple spread, with three distinct impressions visible on the eyelid, indicates that the hub was impressed into the working die at least three times with successive misalignments, each leaving its own trace on this fine facial detail. The mint mark is noted as MMS-005 (straight serifs), providing a mint mark style diagnostic in addition to the primary doubling. The 1944-S Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the San Francisco Mint during World War II, using shell case brass recovered from military ammunition — a wartime composition that gave the coins a slightly different color than standard bronze. San Francisco's wartime cent production contributed to the massive output needed to support the domestic economy during the war years. Eight doubled die obverses documented for the 1944-S date reflects the thorough examination these wartime issues have received, and the combination of eyelid tripling, DDR-007 reverse pairing, and MMS-005 mint mark creates a rich attribution profile for this variety.

Die Markers

• UVC-1657
• DMR-025
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse is LISTED as DDR-007 – MDS
• Obverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Frank Baumann
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References