1945-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista with UVC-1705 and DMR-031, the 1945-S DDO-002 is a Lincoln Wheat cent doubled die obverse variety struck at the San Francisco Mint. The 1945-S cent was produced in the standard 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc composition that resumed in 1944 after the 1943 steel cent experiment, weighing 3.11 grams with a 19 mm diameter. San Francisco struck 181,770,000 cents in 1945 as the nation's wartime coin production remained at elevated levels. The doubling shows as light extra thickness on the date with very light extra thickness on WE TRUST, along with division lines on the left edge of the 9, both edges of the 4, and on the right edge of the 5 in the date. These division lines within the date digits are a distinctive diagnostic, as they represent separation between the primary and secondary hub impressions visible on the individual digit strokes. Three die stages are documented: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid die state showing a small die gouge at the upper right of the W and just above the E in WE with the reverse also at mid die state, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). VarietyVista notes that the mintmark on this die corresponds to MMS-006, the ball serif style. This mintmark style information is valuable for attribution because San Francisco used multiple mintmark punch styles during this era, and identifying the specific punch style helps narrow down the die to a particular production period. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait with its detailed date, motto, and inscription elements provides the design features where this hub doubling is visible, and the combination of date digit division lines with the ball serif mintmark style creates a multi-point attribution framework for this variety.

Die Markers

• UVC-1705
• DMR-031
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Small die gouge at the upper Right of the W and just above the E in WE – MDS
• Reverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ken Potter
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References