1945-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-008

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with catalog codes UVC-1698 and DMR-025, this 1945-D Lincoln Wheat Cent DDO-008 presents light extra thickness on the date and IN GOD WE TRUST — a subtle doubled die obverse where the hub displacement was minimal, producing thickened letter and numeral profiles rather than clearly separated secondary images. Three documented die stages reveal an extensive service life: Stage A at early die state (EDS, unconfirmed), Stage B at late mid-die-state (LMDS) with the obverse at LMDS while the reverse has progressed to late die state (LDS), and Stage C with the obverse at LDS and a die crack from the left wheat tip to the rim running through the E of E PLURIBUS UNUM at very late die state (VLDS). The Stage C die crack system — extending from a design element through inscription lettering to the rim — documents the terminal phase of this reverse die's useful life, and the VLDS (Very Late Die State) designation indicates specimens from this stage show severe deterioration beyond standard late-state characteristics. The Lincoln Wheat Cent was struck at the Denver Mint in 1945, near the end of World War II, in the standard bronze composition (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) that had been restored after the 1943 zinc-coated steel and 1944 shell-case copper emergency compositions. Each coin weighs 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. Victor David Brenner designed the obverse portrait, while the wheat ears reverse served from 1909 through 1958. The four-stage die state documentation — from EDS through LMDS and LDS to VLDS — provides one of the more detailed service life records in the VarietyVista catalog, tracing this die pair from early production through terminal deterioration.

Die Markers

• UVC-1698
• DMR-025
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse is LMDS
• Reverse is LDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse is LDS
• Die crack from Left wheat tip to rim through E of E PLURIBUS UNUM – VLDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References