1946-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-009

Description

Ninth in the reverse doubled die census for the 1946-S Lincoln wheat cent, DDR-009 exhibits light spread on E PLURIBUS and the left wheat ear and stem on the reverse that Victor David Brenner adapted from his original 1909 wheat ear design. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-1748 and DMR-063, documenting three die stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B where both reverse and obverse surfaces show mid die state characteristics, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The MDS confirmation for Stage B indicates specimens with moderate die wear have been verified. An additional attribution note identifies the mintmark as MMS-004 with a "trumpet tail" — a distinctive flared terminal stroke on the S mintmark that curves outward, providing a secondary diagnostic for confirming the correct die. San Francisco struck approximately 198.1 million cents in 1946, the first full post-war production year after the end of World War II. The light spread on E PLURIBUS and the left wheat ear concentrates the doubling on the left side of the reverse, suggesting a directional hub displacement that affected elements in this region more than those on the right. The wheat ear stems provide particularly sensitive diagnostic surfaces for detecting light spread because their thin parallel lines amplify even minimal displacement — a slightly shifted secondary impression creates clearly visible doubled lines that would be less apparent on broader design elements. The trumpet tail S mintmark (MMS-004) is a recurring mintmark style variant on 1940s S-mint cents, arising from the hand-punching technique used to apply mintmarks to individual working dies.

Die Markers

• UVC-1748
• DMR-063
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References