1963 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-026

Description

Extending the 1963 P-mint DDO catalog into its twenty-sixth entry, WDDO-026 of the Lincoln Memorial Cent records another instance of hub misalignment during working die manufacture at the Philadelphia Mint. The existence of twenty-six or more DDO varieties for a single date and mint demonstrates the scale at which the die hubbing process could generate anomalies when operating under the pressure of high-volume production schedules. In 1963, Philadelphia produced 754,110,000 business-strike cents in addition to 3,075,645 proof specimens, and the working die inventory required to sustain this output meant that dozens or even hundreds of obverse dies passed through the hubbing press over the course of the year. Each hubbing session was an independent event with its own alignment characteristics, and the varieties documented in the WDDO catalog collectively represent a sampling of the misalignment outcomes that occurred across this population of dies. Business-strike cents from Philadelphia circulated without a mint mark and were struck on the standard 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet. The obverse carries Victor David Brenner's enduring portrait of Lincoln, and the reverse features Frank Gasparro's depiction of the Lincoln Memorial. Because no specific die markers are enumerated for WDDO-026, collectors must identify this variety through its doubling characteristics, comparing observed features under magnification against die photographs maintained in the Wexler Doubled Die Files. Strong side lighting at approximately 45 degrees is recommended to bring secondary images into relief against the primary design.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References