1963 Lincoln Memorial Cent - Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-034

Description

Within the growing census of 1963 Philadelphia Mint DDO varieties, WDDO-034 stands as further evidence that die production at the nation's oldest mint facility generated a remarkable diversity of hubbing anomalies during this high-output year. Doubled die obverse varieties arise from the mechanical realities of die manufacture: the Janvier reduction lathe produces a master hub from which master dies are made, which in turn create working hubs, and finally working dies receive the design through repeated impressions of the working hub under hydraulic pressure. At any stage where multiple impressions are needed, even microscopic misalignment between applications can produce a secondary image that becomes a permanent feature of the die. The 1963 cent production of 754,110,000 business strikes required a substantial inventory of working dies throughout the year, and WDDO-034 emerged from one of these dies. Attributed by the Wexler Team and cataloged under Wexler Variety ID 1963 1c WDDO-034, this variety should be identified by comparing specimens against published die photographs under at least 10x magnification with directional lighting. The coin was struck on a 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet without a mint mark, bearing Victor David Brenner's portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the obverse and Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial on the reverse. Serious DDO collectors working through 1963 cent rolls should maintain a reference set of die photographs to distinguish between the numerous varieties now documented for this date.

Cross References

• Wexler Variety ID: 1963 1¢ WDDO-034

External References