1946 (D) Lincoln Wheat Cent - Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-022

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 1946-D 1¢ WDDO-022 and cross-referenced by CONECA as 6-O-II, this Class II doubled die obverse variety was struck at the Denver Mint on a 1946-D Lincoln Wheat cent. The primary diagnostic shows a Class II spread towards the center on the date, a characteristic of distorted hub doubling where design elements appear to shift inward. Adding further interest, this obverse die is also documented as carrying a repunched mintmark listed separately in the Wexler RPM Files as WRPM-089, described as a D/D Tilted (Rotated) variety, making this a dual-variety coin with both doubled die obverse and repunched mintmark characteristics from the same die. The reverse die markers include a strong die gouge running west from the top of the P in PLURIBUS and a die gouge running from west to east through the center of the L in PLURIBUS. The 1946-D Lincoln cent was struck in the 95% copper, 5% zinc composition at 3.11 grams and 19 mm diameter. Denver produced 315,690,000 cents in 1946. The dual CONECA and Wexler cross-referencing demonstrates how major variety cataloging organizations may independently document the same variety under different classification systems. The combination of a doubled die obverse and a repunched mintmark on the same die is relatively uncommon and adds collecting appeal, as specimens display two distinct types of die preparation anomalies simultaneously.

Cross References

• CONECA: 6-O-II; Wexler Variety ID: 1946-D 1¢ WDDO-022

External References