1945 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent - Doubled Die Obverse VDDO-006

Description

Bearing a San Francisco mintmark classified as MMS-006 (ball serif style), this sixth VarietyVista doubled die obverse for the 1945-S Lincoln Wheat Cent exhibits medium spread in the North direction manifesting as an extra eyelid above Lincoln's eye, accompanied by very light hubbing visible above the 9 in the date and below the Y of LIBERTY. The extra eyelid is one of the most visually distinctive forms of doubled die expression on Lincoln Cents — a clean secondary line above the normal eyelid that immediately signals hub doubling to experienced observers. Die markers carry preliminary UVC and DMR codes (listed as unassigned), with three die stages tracked: Stage A at Early Die State is unconfirmed, Stage B at Mid-Die State is unconfirmed, and Stage C documents a die dent on the lower lapel at Late Die State with the reverse also at LDS. The mintmark attribution as MMS-006 with ball serif characteristics provides an additional diagnostic element — San Francisco mintmarks on 1940s Wheat Cents were individually hand-punched into each working die, and the specific punch used can be classified by its serif style, size, and positioning. The 1945-S was struck during the final year of World War II, when San Francisco Mint production helped maintain coin supply during wartime economic demands. The combination of doubled die obverse with a specifically identified mintmark style makes VDDO-006 a multi-layered variety that rewards thorough examination across both die-made features and mintmark punch attribution.

Die Markers

• UVC-????
• DMR-???
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Die dent on lower lapel – LDS
• Reverse is LDS

External References