1946 Lincoln Wheat Cent - Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-033

Description

First full year of postwar coinage production, 1946 saw the Philadelphia Mint striking 991.6 million Lincoln wheat cents as pent-up civilian demand for circulating coinage surged following the end of wartime rationing and metal restrictions. WDDO-033 is the thirty-third doubled die obverse cataloged for this date by the Wexler Team, designated 1946 1¢ WDDO-033, with no CONECA or Fivaz-Stanton cross-references established. The extraordinary number of DDO varieties documented for 1946 reflects the combination of massive mintage, multi-hub impression die preparation, and the vigorous scrutiny that wheat cent varieties have received from dedicated specialists. In 1946 the Mint was still striking cents in the wartime shell-case alloy of 95% copper and 5% zinc; bronze returned in 1947. Hub doubling on the obverse of a 1946 cent would affect Victor David Brenner's Lincoln portrait, the legends LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST, and the date -- though the specific spread characteristics of WDDO-033 require direct examination to identify the affected elements and displacement direction. Nearly a billion cents from a single mint in a single year guaranteed that varieties would emerge, and the passage of eight decades has given collectors ample time to sift through surviving populations. Assembling a complete 1946 DDO set represents a formidable challenge given the thirty-three-plus entries in the Wexler catalog alone.

Cross References

• Wexler Variety ID: 1946 1¢ WDDO-033

External References