1964 Proof Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-004

Description

Holding the fourth position among the Proof-prefixed doubled die obverse varieties for the 1964 Lincoln cent, this WDDO-004 was struck from proof dies at the Philadelphia Mint during the final year of traditional Philadelphia proof production. Hub doubling on Lincoln cents is classified into eight CONECA classes based on the type of hub movement that caused the misalignment: Class I (rotated), Class II (distorted), Class III (design), Class IV (offset), Class V (pivoted), Class VI (distended), Class VII (modified), and Class VIII (tilted). Each class produces a distinctive doubling pattern, and experienced variety collectors can often identify the class from the direction and distribution of the spread across the coin's design elements. The 1964 proof mintage of 3,950,762 cents required over a thousand proof die pairs, and the multi-impression hubbing technology in use at the time created a statistical probability of misalignment across that many dies. No specific doubling description, die markers, cross-references, or expert attributions have been published for this variety. Collectors attempting to attribute this variety should photograph the coin at high magnification and compare the doubling pattern element by element against reference images, as misidentification among the many 1964 proof DDO varieties is a common pitfall when differences between adjacent WDDO numbers can be subtle. Struck on a polished 3.11-gram, 19mm bronze planchet of 95% copper and 5% tin-zinc.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References