1964 Proof Lincoln Memorial Cent - Proof Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-021

Description

WDDO-021 is a doubled die obverse on the 1964 proof Lincoln Memorial cent. The 1964 date holds a special status in numismatic history as the last year that the Philadelphia Mint produced proof coins before the 1965-67 suspension of proof sets, during which Special Mint Sets replaced traditional proofs as part of the government's response to the nationwide coin shortage. When proof production resumed in 1968, it moved to the San Francisco Mint, making every 1964 Philadelphia proof cent a product of a concluded era. This transitional significance adds collecting interest to 1964 proof varieties beyond their intrinsic die-variety merit. Hub doubling on proof dies is mechanically identical to hub doubling on business strike dies — a misalignment between successive hubbing impressions during die manufacture — but the proof surface often reveals doubling with different visual characteristics than a satiny business strike surface. No specific doubling description, die markers, cross-references, or expert attributions have been published for this variety. Attribution requires careful magnified comparison against Wexler reference photographs, focusing on LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the date. Struck on a polished 3.11-gram, 19.05 mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

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