1963-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

The first cataloged Doubled Die Obverse for the 1963-D Lincoln Memorial Cent, WDDO-001 exhibits a counterclockwise spread from a tilted hub that manifests inside the lower numeral 3 and below the 3 of the date. This pattern is consistent with Class VIII tilted hub doubling, where one edge of the working hub was slightly elevated relative to the die face during a secondary impression, concentrating the visible displacement in a localized area rather than distributing it uniformly across the design. The 1963-D cent was produced at the Denver Mint in enormous quantity — 1,774,020,400 pieces, one of the highest single-issue mintages in the entire Lincoln cent series — which demanded hundreds of die pairs and created proportionally more opportunities for hubbing anomalies than a lower-volume issue would have. Despite this massive output, individual doubled die varieties remain scarce because each one originates from a single die that represents a tiny fraction of the total production. Obverse die markers have been documented for this variety, though specific details should be confirmed against current attribution references. Collectors searching for WDDO-001 should focus on the interior contour of the lower loop of the 3 and on the area immediately below the base of the numeral, where the secondary impression leaves a subtle but detectable shelf or separation line. A strong loupe of at least 7x magnification is recommended for initial identification. The coin carries Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait of Abraham Lincoln and Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse, struck in the 95% copper and 5% zinc composition that had been standard since tin was removed in 1962.

Die Markers

• Obverse

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References