1957-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-006

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as WDDO-006 on the 1957-D Lincoln Wheat Cent, this doubled die obverse manifests as an extra eyelid visible below Lincoln's normal eyelid — one of the most anatomically intuitive doubled die diagnostics in numismatics, as the human eye naturally gravitates to facial features when examining portraits. The extra eyelid effect occurs when the secondary hub impression is displaced just enough to create a distinct parallel arc below the primary eyelid line, producing what appears to be a second, lower eyelid on Lincoln's profile. Obverse die markers include remnants of a die clash to the right of the throat and several die scratches running north-south to the left of the lower back of the head. Reverse markers include a die scratch from the P in PLURIBUS to the O in ONE, a die scratch running NNW/SSE between the U and N in UNITED, and numerous additional die scratches throughout the reverse. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 1957-D 1-cent WDDO-006 with no other known attributions, this variety comes from the Denver Mint where the 1957-D saw a substantial mintage of approximately 1.05 billion cents — the first time Denver exceeded one billion cents in a single year. Struck in 95% copper and 5% tin-and-zinc at 3.11 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter, the 1957-D is a late-series Wheat Cent from the penultimate year before the design transition to the Memorial reverse in 1959. The die clash remnants on the obverse indicate this die pair experienced a capping or feed interruption during production, adding manufacturing history beyond the doubled die classification itself.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Larry Patterson Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1957-D 1¢ WDDO-006
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References