1963 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-064

Description

Within the substantial proof DDO census for the 1963 Lincoln Memorial Cent, WDDO-064 represents yet another working die that acquired a secondary obverse image during the hubbing process at the Philadelphia Mint's die manufacturing facility. The hubbing process required multiple impressions of a hardened working hub into a softened die blank under hydraulic pressure, and even slight rotational or lateral displacement between these impressions could embed a permanent ghost of the design alongside the primary image. Once the die was finished with chrome plating and polishing for proof service, it entered the press line carrying this anomaly, transmitting it faithfully to every proof cent it struck. The 1963 proof cent is historically significant as part of the last uninterrupted proof set series before Congress suspended proof production during the coin shortage of 1965-67, lending an additional dimension of interest to proof varieties from this date. With 3,075,645 proof Lincoln cents produced in 1963 and individual die pairs lasting approximately 3,000 impressions, the surviving population of any single proof DDO variety is constrained to a small fraction of the total proof output. Collectors should approach identification methodically, examining the obverse under at least 10x magnification and comparing doubling characteristics and die markers against published reference photographs. This variety is cataloged under Wexler Variety ID 1963 1c Pr WDDO-064 and was attributed by the Wexler Team. The coin was struck on the standard 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet used throughout the Lincoln Memorial cent series.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1963 1¢ Pr WDDO-064
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References