1946 (D) Lincoln Wheat Cent - Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-004

Description

Carrying the Wexler designation 1946-D 1c WDDR-004, this Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent displays a Class V clockwise spread pivoting from approximately 6 o'clock, visible on E PLURIBUS (EPU), the dots flanking E PLURIBUS UNUM, and the upper left wheat ear. Class V doubling results from the hub rotating slightly around a fixed pivot point during a secondary impression, producing curved displacement that intensifies with distance from the pivot — elements near the 12 o'clock position, farthest from the 6 o'clock pivot, receive the strongest offset. Obverse die markers include light die scratches running northeast from the top right of the T in LIBERTY, while the reverse carries a short die gouge protruding from the lower right of the first S in STATES and a die scratch running east-northeast from the top of the same letter. The 1946-D Lincoln Cent was struck in shell casing brass, the recycled ammunition cartridge alloy used from 1944 through 1946 before the Mint returned to the pre-war bronze composition in 1947. The pivoted clockwise mechanism makes WDDR-004 a textbook example of rotational hub displacement on a late-era brass Wheat Cent.

Cross References

• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1946-D 1¢ WDDR-004

External References