1963 Lincoln Memorial Cent - Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-014

Description

WDDO-014 is a doubled die obverse on the 1963 Lincoln Memorial cent. The variety originated when a misalignment during die hubbing created visible doubling on obverse design elements, a manufacturing artifact that was permanently encoded in the working die and reproduced on every cent subsequently struck from it. Among error and variety specialists, the 1963 Philadelphia cent occupies a notable position because the high production volume of 754,110,000 pieces both created abundant opportunities for hubbing anomalies and ensured that large quantities of raw material remain available for cherry-picking in the present day. Doubled die obverse varieties on Lincoln Memorial cents can manifest in several forms, including rotational spreads on the legends and date, translational shifts on the portrait, and extra contour lines on Lincoln's features such as the eyelid, ear, or bowtie area. Without enumerated die markers for WDDO-014, the attribution process requires careful comparison of the doubling pattern and any visible die surface features against published die photographs. The coin was struck on a 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet at the Philadelphia Mint and bears no mint mark, following the convention that prevailed until 2017 for Philadelphia circulation strikes. Brenner's obverse and Gasparro's reverse complete the design. The year 1963 preceded the coin shortage that led Congress to suspend mint marks from 1965 through 1967, a disruption that collectors of this era keep in mind as historical context.

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