1946-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-002

Description

Occupying the DDR-002 position for the 1946-S Lincoln wheat cent, this variety presents medium spread on E PL of E PLURIBUS and the left wheat ear on the reverse designed by Victor David Brenner. VarietyVista assigned die identifiers UVC-1321 and DMR-003, tracking three die stages across the die's production lifespan. Stage A represents early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C reveals late die state with a die crack running from the upper left wheat ear to the rim, while the obverse has also progressed to late die state. The LDS confirmation for Stage C provides collectors with a documented terminal die state where the advancing crack offers an additional visual diagnostic for identifying late-state specimens. San Francisco struck approximately 198.1 million cents in 1946, the first full peacetime production year after World War II, and the S-mint mark's return to coinage — after wartime use of the S facility for other defense-related production — makes 1946-S an early post-war collecting target. The comments note a particularly interesting secondary attribution: the mintmark is MMS-004, described as having a "trumpet tail" — a misplaced or repunched mintmark where a secondary S impression creates a flared extension on one of the letter's curves, resembling the bell of a trumpet. This dual attribution combining a reverse doubled die with a misplaced mintmark elevates the variety's collector interest significantly. Medium spread on E PL and the left wheat ear indicates a hub displacement that affected the upper-left quadrant of the reverse most prominently, and collectors should examine these elements under 10-15x magnification where the secondary impression produces noticeably thickened or shadowed letter forms.

Die Markers

• UVC-1321
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Die crack from upper Left wheat to rim – LDS
• Obverse is LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Frank Baumann
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References