1961 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-010
Error
Description
Occupying the tenth position among documented doubled die obverse varieties for the 1961 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial Cent, WDDO-010 is a regular-strike variety whose doubling originated during the hub-to-die transfer process. The Philadelphia Mint's production of cents in 1961 required a substantial number of working dies to meet demand, and the multi-impression hubbing technique then in use created an inherent vulnerability to misregistration with each successive impression. When the hub and die failed to align precisely, the resulting doubled image was locked into the die steel and reproduced on every coin struck from that die until it was retired. WDDO-010 is part of a thirteen-variety DDO population for the 1961 date — a concentration that reflects both the high output and the hubbing technology of the era. The Lincoln Memorial Cent series, only two years old in 1961, was still in its formative period, and collectors who specialize in early Memorial varieties consider the 1959 through 1964 span a particularly rich hunting ground for hub doubling discoveries. No specific die markers or cross-references to other attribution organizations have been published for this variety, and collectors should rely on magnified comparison of the obverse design elements against photographic standards to confirm attribution. The absence of a mintmark confirms Philadelphia origin.
Attribution History
- Discovered by Wexler Team