1957 (D) Lincoln Wheat Cent - Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-016

Description

Sixteenth among the documented doubled die obverses from the 1957 Denver Mint Lincoln Wheat Cent production, WDDO-016 adds to what is one of the largest single-date-mint DDO families in the entire Wheat Cent series. The Wexler Team's assignment of Wexler Variety ID 1957-D 1c WDDO-016 places this variety within a population of at least nineteen cataloged DDOs for the 1957-D — a number that directly correlates with Denver's unprecedented output of over one billion cents that year (1,051,342,000 pieces). Each of those billion-plus coins originated from one of hundreds of working dies, and WDDO-016 preserves the hub misalignment geometry unique to one specific die among that enormous population. Differentiating WDDO-016 from the fifteen varieties that precede it and the three that follow requires exacting comparison of spread characteristics: the direction of displacement (north, south, east, west, or a rotational pivot), the magnitude (light, medium, or strong extra thickness), and which design elements are most prominently affected — the date numerals, the IN GOD WE TRUST motto, or the LIBERTY inscription along Lincoln's coat. No ancillary die markers have been reported for WDDO-016, so the doubling pattern is the primary identification pathway. These cents were struck in standard bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) on planchets weighing 3.11 grams and measuring 19mm in diameter. Given the massive original mintage, examples of WDDO-016 likely survive in circulated grades within unsearched accumulations, roll sets, and estate holdings, awaiting discovery by attentive error-variety specialists.

Cross References

• Wexler Variety ID: 1957-D 1¢ WDDO-016

External References