1965 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-007

Description

Completing the currently known roster of Wexler doubled die obverse varieties for the 1965 Lincoln cent, WDDO-007 is a business strike variety from the Philadelphia Mint. The 1965 date occupies a unique position in Lincoln cent collecting: it is the first year without mint marks since the early 1800s, the first year of the tin-free 95% copper and 5% zinc composition, and the first year that Special Mint Sets replaced traditional proof sets. These changes, all mandated by the Coinage Act of 1965, make the 1965 cent a transitional coin that bridges the pre-1965 and post-1965 eras of American coinage. For die variety specialists, the removal of mint marks means that all 1965 business strike cents appear identical in terms of mint identification, and varieties must be attributed solely through die characteristics such as doubled die patterns, die markers, and die stage progression. The enormous production volume of 1,497,224,900 business strikes consumed thousands of working dies over the course of the year, and the statistical probability of hubbing misalignment across that die population yielded the seven distinct doubled die obverse varieties documented in the Wexler Doubled Die Files for this date. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1965 1¢ WDDO-007 and attributed by the Wexler Team. Collectors searching for this variety should examine the standard diagnostic areas — LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and the date — under magnification of at least 10x with directional lighting angled to reveal separation between primary and secondary hub images. Struck on a 3.11-gram, 19mm planchet of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1965 1¢ WDDO-007
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References