1963 Proof Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-043

Description

The identification of proof doubled die obverse varieties like the 1963 Lincoln Memorial Cent WDDO-043 relies on a combination of optical examination and reference comparison that has been refined over decades of attributor experience. The Wexler Doubled Die Files, where this variety is cataloged, provide detailed descriptions and die photographs that allow collectors to match their specimens against documented varieties with confidence. For WDDO-043, the doubling was introduced during the hubbing process at the Philadelphia Mint when the working hub was not precisely re-seated between the multiple impressions needed to transfer the full obverse design into the proof die blank. The resulting secondary image became a permanent feature of the die, surviving the chrome plating and polishing steps that transformed it into a proof-quality striking instrument. Proof dies at the Mint were retired after approximately 3,000 impressions to maintain the mirror surfaces and sharp device edges expected of proof coinage, so this variety was transmitted to a limited number of coins within the 3,075,645 proof Lincoln cents struck in 1963. The proof striking process — higher pressure, polished planchets, individually fed blanks — produces coins with surface qualities that aid variety detection but also demand that the attributor distinguish genuine hub doubling from artifacts such as die polish lines or ejection doubling. The coin was struck on a 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet. The year 1963 was the final date in the uninterrupted proof set series that had begun in 1950, as the coin shortage prompted suspension of proof production from 1965 through 1967.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References