1948-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Fourth in the obverse doubled die census for the 1948-S Lincoln wheat cent, DDO-004 presents medium extra thickness on three diagnostic areas: TRUST, the date, and Lincoln's eyelid — spanning inscription, numeral, and portrait elements on Victor David Brenner's obverse design. VarietyVista assigned die identifiers UVC-1772 and DMR-015, documenting three die stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C where the obverse has reached late die state with a die crack running from the left wheat grain lines to the rim. The LDS confirmation for Stage C with the developing die crack provides collectors with a maximum-wear reference point for this variety's production life, and the crack itself serves as a useful die state indicator — specimens showing the crack are late-state examples, while those without it predate the fracture. San Francisco struck approximately 81.74 million wheat cents in 1948, a substantial mintage that generated significant die consumption. The comment notation records that the mintmark is well centered, distinguishing this die from those carrying tilted or displaced S mintmarks that might otherwise complicate attribution. Medium extra thickness across TRUST, the date, and the eyelid indicates a moderate hub displacement that thickened multiple design elements without producing dramatically separated doubled images, requiring comparison against normal specimens for confirmation. The combination of inscription doubling (TRUST), date doubling, and portrait doubling (eyelid) on a single die demonstrates a comprehensive hub misalignment affecting the entire obverse face. Collectors should examine all three diagnostic areas under 10-15x magnification, noting that the eyelid doubling may be the most visually intuitive starting point given the natural tendency to focus on facial features when examining the Lincoln portrait.

Die Markers

• UVC-1772
• DMR-015
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Obverse is LDS
• Die crack from Left wheat lines to rim – LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References