1946 (S) Lincoln Wheat Cent - Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-015

Description

Post-war San Francisco cent production in 1946 continued in the wartime brass alloy (95% copper, 5% zinc), and die preparation methods still carried over from the high-volume wartime years. WDDO-015 represents one of at least fifteen documented doubled die obverse varieties for the 1946-S issue, pointing to the frequency with which hub misalignment occurred during this transitional period. The doubling on this particular die shows on standard obverse design elements — lettering, date, and portrait features that received secondary impressions during the multi-hubbing process. Cataloged under Wexler Variety ID: 1946-S 1¢ WDDO-015, this variety was identified and attributed by the Wexler Team through their comprehensive die study program. Fifteen DDO listings for a single date-mintmark combination is noteworthy; by comparison, some years in the wheat cent series have only one or two known obverse doubled dies. The abundance of 1946-S doubled die varieties may stem partly from the fact that San Francisco continued using its wartime die shop procedures well into the post-war months, when quality control scrutiny relaxed as the urgency of wartime coin production subsided. Examination for this variety benefits from a loupe of at least 7x power and oblique lighting to separate genuine hub doubling from machine doubling or strike doubling artifacts.

Cross References

• Wexler Variety ID: 1946-S 1¢ WDDO-015

External References