1962 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-026

Description

Displaying a split-direction doubling profile that reveals a complex hub displacement geometry, the 1962 Lincoln Memorial Cent WDDO-026 shows doubling spread toward the center on the date numerals while simultaneously exhibiting a northward spread on the letters of LIBERTY. This divergence in spread direction across two different obverse zones indicates that the working hub did not shift in a simple linear translation but rather underwent a more nuanced displacement — possibly a slight tilt or compound movement — that projected different apparent spread vectors depending on the position of the affected design element relative to the fulcrum of the shift. On the date, the center-directed spread compresses the secondary image inward, producing a subtle thickening along the inner edges of the 1, 9, 6, and 2. On LIBERTY, the northward spread pushes the secondary impression upward, which is most readily detected on letters with strong horizontal elements such as the crossbar of the E and the flat tops of the B and T. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint during 1962 as a regular business-strike issue, this variety was produced in the final year of the original 95% copper Lincoln cent composition, before tin was removed from the alloy beginning in 1963. Collectors examining this variety should use at least 10x magnification with angled lighting that accentuates the directional splits, as the divergent spread orientations serve as the primary diagnostic for separating WDDO-026 from its catalog neighbors.

Die Markers

• Obverse

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References