1946 Lincoln Wheat Cent - Doubled Die Obverse DDO-003

Description

Exhibiting strong extra thickness on the date, IN GOD WE TRUST, and LIBERTY, the 1946 Lincoln Wheat Cent DDO-003 ranks among the more visually prominent doubled die obverses for this post-war date. Strong classification indicates the secondary hub impression is displaced far enough from the primary to produce clearly thickened strokes and numeral outlines detectable under low magnification, making this variety accessible to cherrypickers examining Wheat Cents in dealer bins. The 1946 Lincoln Cent marked the first full year of peacetime production after World War II, though the Mint kept the wartime shell-case alloy until 1947. Die markers include UVC-1712 and DMR-004. Three die stages are recorded: Stage A at Early Die State and Stage B at Mid Die State both remain unconfirmed, while Stage C documents the obverse at Late Die State with the reverse at Mid Die State — an asymmetric pairing suggesting the obverse die wore out faster than its reverse counterpart, common when obverse doubling concentrates stress on the die face. The strong spread across three legend groups makes this one of the more desirable 1946 DDOs.

Die Markers

• UVC-1712
• DMR-004
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Obverse is LDS
• Reverse is MDS

External References