1962-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Sharing the same primary diagnostic as its predecessor, the 1962-D Lincoln Memorial Cent WDDO-002 exhibits an extra eyelid below the normal eyelid on Lincoln's portrait, produced by a slight misregistration between successive hub impressions during die manufacture at the Denver Mint. While the eyelid doubling characteristic links WDDO-002 to WDDO-001, the two varieties are distinguished by their entirely different die marker profiles. On the obverse, die gouges can be found on the lower front of the bust — damage that likely occurred during die handling or installation and that serves as the primary screening diagnostic for this specific working die. The reverse carries its own distinctive markers: several die chips can be found on the last Memorial column, indicating localized metal fatigue or impact damage on the die's rightmost colonnade element. Together, these obverse and reverse markers create a two-sided identification framework that allows collectors to confirm the specific die pair before undertaking the more demanding task of resolving the extra eyelid under magnification. The eyelid doubling itself, while subtle, is a particularly satisfying find for variety specialists because it involves the portraiture rather than the inscriptions, demonstrating that even the fine sculptural detail of the Lincoln bust could register hub misalignment.

Die Markers

• Obverse: Die gouges can be found on the lower front of the bust. Reverse: Several die chips can be found on the last Memorial column.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References