1945-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1945-D 10-cent WDDO-003, this Lincoln Wheat Cent doubled die obverse presents a spread to the north visible on an unusually broad array of design elements: the date, IN GOD WE TRUST, the designer's initials VDB, the tips of the wing feathers between the R and T in LIBERTY, the letters BER in LIBERTY, and the top of the bonnet. A northward spread means the secondary hub impression was displaced upward relative to the primary, creating doubled images that appear above or north of each affected design feature. The breadth of affected elements — spanning text, initials, feather tips, and headwear details — indicates a hub displacement magnitude large enough to exceed the visibility threshold across most of the obverse die face rather than being confined to a localized zone. Obverse die markers include a die scratch running west from the top of the T in LIBERTY and a die scratch running southwest to northeast to the left of Lincoln's nose. The reverse carries a small die gouge (appearing as a dot) below the O in OF, providing a quick reverse-side confirmation point. The 1945-D was struck at the Denver Mint during the final year of World War II, when the Mint was still producing wheat cents in the shell-case copper alloy (95% copper, 5% zinc) that had replaced the zinc-coated steel composition used in 1943. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait design had been in continuous production since 1909. At 3.11 grams and 19.05 mm diameter, these small cents circulated heavily during wartime, making well-preserved examples with visible doubling particularly desirable to variety collectors.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Thomas McGowan Cross References: None known
• s:; Wexler Variety ID: 1945-D 10¢ WDDO-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References