1963 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-009

Description

Presenting an extra eyelid below the normal eyelid on Lincoln's portrait, the 1963 Lincoln Memorial Cent WDDO-009 is accompanied by one of the most detailed die marker profiles among the P-mint DDO varieties for this date. The obverse markers include a die gouge west-southwest of the first T in IN GOD WE TRUST, three die gouges below the second T in IN GOD WE TRUST, and a die scratch running north to south above the T in LIBERTY. On the reverse, die pitting can be found below the T in UNITED, and a small die gouge can be found inside the upper N in CENT. This abundance of surface features across both sides of the coin provides collectors with a robust framework for confirming attribution, since each marker can be independently verified against published references and die photographs. The three die gouges clustered below the second T in the motto are a particularly distinctive grouping that serves as a quick visual identifier when screening potential candidates. Die gouges of this type form when small fragments of foreign material become trapped between the hub and die during manufacture, or when handling damage occurs during die storage and transport, and they remain constant across every coin struck from the affected die. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint as part of the 754,110,000 business-strike production for 1963, this variety circulated on the standard 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet that had been adopted for Lincoln cents beginning in 1962. The reverse die pitting below the T in UNITED suggests early-stage die erosion, and specimens struck from later states of this die may show expanded pitting in that area.

Die Markers

• Obverse: A die gouge can be found WSW of the first T in TRUST. Three die gouges can be found below the second T in TRUST. A die scratch runs N/S above the T in LIBERTY. Reverse: Die pitting can be found below the T in UNITED. A small die gouge can be found inside the upper N in CENT.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References