1955 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-008

Description

While the 1955 Lincoln wheat cent is most famous for WDDO-001 — the legendary dramatically doubled die that ranks among the most recognized error coins in American numismatics — WDDO-008 documents a subtler doubling event from the same year's die production. Rather than the gross letter separation of its celebrated sibling, WDDO-008 manifests as an extra eyelid below Lincoln's normal eyelid on Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait. The Wexler Team recorded numerous north-south die scratches to the right of Lincoln's bust as the primary obverse die marker, with no significant reverse markers, and assigned the designation Wexler Variety ID: 1955 1¢ WDDO-008. Philadelphia struck approximately 330.6 million wheat cents in 1955, and the year's infamy in the doubled die world has motivated extraordinarily thorough examination of the entire output, yielding multiple documented DDO varieties beyond the famous first listing. Extra eyelid varieties occupy a specific niche in Lincoln cent collecting — the portrait's eye area is small enough that even minimal hub displacement creates a visibly doubled eyelid, making this zone one of the most sensitive indicators of obverse doubling on the Lincoln design. The die scratches to the right of the bust provide a secondary attribution tool, helping distinguish WDDO-008 from other 1955 doubled die obverses that affect the eyelid area. Collectors searching through 1955 cents hoping for the rare WDDO-001 should be aware of these subsidiary varieties, which offer legitimate doubled die collecting opportunities at far more accessible price points.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1955 1¢ WDDO-008
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References