1950 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as Wexler Variety ID 1950 1-cent WDDO-001, this Lincoln Wheat Cent doubled die obverse holds the primary DDO designation for the 1950 date — the WDDO-001 number indicates it was the first obverse doubled die cataloged for this year, often representing the strongest or most significant variety discovered. Proof Lincoln Wheat Cents resumed production in 1950 after a wartime hiatus (proofs were last produced in 1942), making the 1950 proof set historically significant as the inaugural post-war proof issue. The Lincoln Wheat Cent obverse was designed by Victor David Brenner, first appearing in 1909, while the Wheat Ears reverse had served since the denomination's inception. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, the coin weighs 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter and a plain edge. The 1950 proof mintage of approximately 51,386 sets was notably small — one of the lowest proof production figures of the modern era — which makes any variety found on a 1950 proof particularly desirable to collectors given the limited population from which confirmed examples can emerge. Doubled die obverse varieties result from misalignment between successive hub impressions during working die manufacture, creating offset secondary images of design elements on the obverse face. As WDDO-001 for this date, the doubling characteristics documented in the Wexler files define the benchmark variety against which all other potential 1950 obverse doubled dies are measured. Collectors examining 1950 proof cents should inspect the date, IN GOD WE TRUST, and LIBERTY under magnification, as these are the inscription areas where hub doubling most commonly manifests on Lincoln Cent obverse dies.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bill Wilson Cross References: Coppercoins: 1950P-1DO-004
• Coppercoins: 1950P-1DO-004; Wexler Variety ID: 1950 1¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References