1956-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

Second obverse doubled die cataloged for the 1956-D Lincoln wheat cent, DDO-002 presents a light southward spread on Lincoln's eyelid — a delicate but diagnostic doubling feature on Victor David Brenner's portrait that creates a subtle secondary line beneath the primary eyelid contour. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-1881 and DMR-023, with detailed die stage progression: Stage A where die scratches running northeast-to-southwest appear on the obverse at mid die state while the reverse is in early die state, Stage B where the obverse progresses to mid die state and a light die crack develops in the lower right wheat grains, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The additional notation identifies this die as using the "Solid 6" hub, referring to the style of the numeral 6 in the date — a variant where the loop of the 6 is completely closed rather than showing the small gap found on some hub varieties, providing yet another diagnostic checkpoint. Denver struck approximately 1.1 billion cents in 1956, one of the highest wheat cent production figures of the series' final years. The eyelid doubling diagnostic is particularly noteworthy because the human eye naturally gravitates toward examining facial features on coin portraits, making this one of the more intuitive doubled die discoveries once collectors know to look for it. The light classification indicates the doubling is subtle and requires focused examination, but the eyelid location — where the curved lid contour readily betrays any secondary impression — compensates for the modest displacement magnitude. Collectors should verify the northeast-southwest die scratches on the obverse to confirm the correct die, then examine Lincoln's eyelid under 15-20x magnification with oblique lighting that casts shadows along the lid contour to reveal the southward secondary impression.

Die Markers

• UVC-1881
• DMR-023
• Stage A:
• Die scratches Northeast-Southwest on Obverse – MDS
• Reverse is EDS
• Stage B:
• Obverse is MDS
• Light die crack in lower Right wheat grains – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Unknown
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References