1945-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Produced at the Denver Mint during the final year of World War II, the 1945-D Lincoln Wheat Cent DDO-004 displays an extra eyelid on Lincoln's portrait with the doubling spread directed southward. This distinctive diagnostic — where the hub impression shifted to create a secondary eyelid line below the primary — makes DDO-004 visually striking under magnification. VarietyVista assigns Universal Variety Code UVC-1694 and Die Marker Reference DMR-021, with three die stages: Stage A in early die state showing both obverse and reverse in crisp condition, Stage B at mid-die-state (unconfirmed), and Stage C in late die state (unconfirmed). Compared to DDO-005, this variety shows a closer spread and carries a mintmark positioned lower on the die — a critical distinction since both affect the same area of Lincoln's portrait and could be confused without careful measurement. Brenner's design had been in production since 1909, and by 1945 Denver was striking cents on standard copper alloy again after the 1943 steel and 1944 shell-case compositions. Look for the doubled eyelid line below Lincoln's eye.

Die Markers

• UVC-1694
• DMR-021
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse and EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References