1945-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Fourth obverse doubled die documented for the 1945-S Lincoln wheat cent, DDO-004 shows light spread on the date accompanied by extra thickness on both the date digits and TRUST in the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. VarietyVista classified this variety under UVC-1707 and DMR-033, tracking three die stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C where both obverse and reverse surfaces have advanced to late die state. The LDS confirmation for Stage C establishes that this die pair remained in service long enough for significant wear to develop, meaning specimens exist across a range of die states from sharp early impressions through well-worn late-state strikes. A distinctive mintmark characteristic accompanies this variety: "MMS-006 (ball serif)," indicating the S mintmark displays a ball serif style — a specific punch type identifiable by rounded terminal ends on the S letterform rather than the flat or tapered serifs seen on other mintmark punches. San Francisco struck approximately 181.8 million wheat cents in 1945, the final year of World War II, using shell-case copper reclaimed from spent cartridges that gave these cents a slightly different color than pre-war and post-war issues. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait on the obverse provides the date numerals and TRUST inscription where the light spread and extra thickness are concentrated, and the mintmark's ball serif identification serves as an independent die confirmation beyond the doubling diagnostic. Collectors should examine the date digits under 10-15x magnification for displacement shadows indicating the secondary hub impression, then verify the S mintmark's rounded serif terminals to confirm the correct die.

Die Markers

• UVC-1707
• DMR-033
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Unknown
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References