1945 Lincoln Wheat Cent - Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-025

Description

A doubled eyelid visible south of Lincoln's primary eyelid distinguishes this twenty-fifth documented doubled die obverse for the 1945 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent — an unusual area of doubling that most collectors overlook in favor of the more commonly examined LIBERTY and date regions. A small die chip sits well south of the 45 in the date on the obverse, while the reverse displays prominent finger feeder damage running from just below the C in CENT upward through LU in PLURIBUS, along with small die chips southeast of the second S in STATES. Finger feeder damage — created by the mechanical fingers that feed planchets into the press — leaves distinctive linear marks on the die surface that transfer to every coin struck. Cross-referenced under Wexler Variety ID: 1945 1¢ WDDO-025, attributed by the Wexler Team. The 1945 Wheat Cent was struck in the recycled shell casing composition used from 1944 through 1946, before the return to standard bronze in 1947. Philadelphia produced over 1.04 billion cents in 1945, and twenty-five documented DDO varieties for this single date represents extraordinary density. The eyelid doubling on Lincoln's portrait demonstrates that hub misalignment can affect even fine engraving details, not just bold text elements.

Cross References

• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1945 1¢ WDDO-025

External References