1957-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-022

Description

An extra eyelid below Lincoln's normal eyelid is the defining diagnostic of this twenty-second doubled die obverse for the 1957 Denver Mint Wheat Cent, cataloged under Wexler Variety ID 1957-D 1-cent WDDO-022 with no other known cross-references. The obverse die carries numerous die scratches running northwest-to-southeast above the letters in LIBERTY, a short die scratch running west-northwest-to-east-southeast above the mintmark, and numerous die scratches extending southeast from the throat. The reverse shows numerous die scratches running north-to-south throughout. Eyelid doubling is one of the most sought-after forms of doubled die variety on Lincoln Cents because the portrait detail is large enough to be visible without extreme magnification, and the anatomical feature provides an unambiguous reference point for attribution. The 1957-D Wheat Cent was struck in the penultimate year of the Lincoln Wheat reverse — Frank Gasparro's Memorial reverse would replace it in 1959 — and Denver's production that year exceeded one billion cents, an extraordinary output that consumed thousands of die pairs. Twenty-two documented DDO varieties for a single date and mint underscores how many unique dies were employed and how many opportunities existed for hub misalignment during the die-making process.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Frank Baumann Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1957-D 1¢ WDDO-022
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References