1964 (D) Lincoln Memorial Cent - Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-016

Description

The shortage had roots in multiple converging factors — population growth, the expansion of coin-operated commerce, rising silver prices that encouraged hoarding of silver coins, and speculative accumulation of rolls and bags by investors — and the Mint's response was to produce coins at the highest sustainable rate, running extended shifts and consuming dies at an accelerated pace. This environment of maximum-throughput production created an enormous number of individual hubbing sessions during die manufacture, each carrying the possibility of the slight hub misalignment that produces a doubled die variety. WDDO-016 preserves the doubled obverse from one such session, a secondary design image permanently embedded in the die steel during the hubbing process and then reproduced on every cent the die struck during its operational life. The coin was struck on a 95% copper and 5% zinc planchet at 19.05 mm diameter and 3.11 grams, bearing the Brenner portrait and Gasparro Memorial reverse.

External References