1952 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Holding the primary DDO designation for the 1952 Philadelphia Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent, DDO-001 shows medium spread on TRUST — a doubling intensity that falls between the subtle extra thickness of light spread and the dramatic separation of strong spread, making this variety detectable under moderate magnification. The VarietyVista system assigns UVC-1803 and DMR-003, with three die states documented: Stage A at EDS (unconfirmed), Stage B showing obverse and reverse at MDS, and Stage C at LDS (unconfirmed). The confirmed mid-die-state observation provides the primary attribution anchor, while early and late state specimens remain targets for future documentation. The medium spread on TRUST is diagnostically focused — the doubling appears concentrated on this single word rather than distributed broadly across the obverse, suggesting the hub misalignment produced a pivot point that minimized displacement across most of the die face while creating visible spread in the TRUST zone. As DDO-001, this variety represents the most significant doubled die obverse for the 1952 date — the first variety a die researcher would document and the one most likely to carry stronger or more easily visible doubling than subsequent entries. The 1952 Lincoln Wheat Cent was produced during the Korean War era, when cent production continued at substantial volumes to serve domestic commerce. Victor David Brenner's Lincoln obverse, by 1952 in its forty-third year of production, had been refined through decades of die preparation experience, yet hubbing misalignment remained an inherent risk each time a working die was created.

Die Markers

• UVC-1803
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Delma K. Romines
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References