1944-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-004

Description

Fourth doubled die reverse for the 1944-S Lincoln Wheat Cent, DDR-004 displays light extra thickness on E PLURIBUS UNUM, the dividing dots, and the upper wheat ears — design elements concentrated in the upper half of the reverse where hub misalignment during die preparation created the most visible displacement. The 1944-S cent was struck on shell case planchets, the recycled brass ammunition cartridge cases that gave wartime cents from 1944-1945 their distinctive golden appearance, replacing the zinc-coated steel composition used in 1943. VarietyVista catalogs this variety with die markers UVC-1654 and DMR-022 across three stages: Early and Mid Die State remain unconfirmed, with Late Die State capturing both obverse and reverse in their final production phase. A noteworthy cross-variety relationship exists with the mintmark — the same die carries mintmark style MMS-005 with straight serifs, positioned level with the tail of the 9 in the date. The straight-serif S is a recognized mintmark punch variant that differs from the more common curved-serif San Francisco punches, providing an additional attribution point for collectors examining 1944-S cents. San Francisco produced 282,760,000 cents in 1944, a substantial volume that necessitated numerous die pairs and created ample opportunity for both hub doubling and mintmark style variations to appear in the surviving population. The combination of a doubled die reverse and a distinctive mintmark style on the same coin increases the variety's appeal to specialists who appreciate die marriages that offer multiple collectible attributes. Documented by VarietyVista.

Die Markers

• UVC-1654
• DMR-022
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Reverse and Obverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References