1970-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-016

Description

Carrying the Wexler designation 1970-D 1¢ WDDO-016 and no known cross-references, this doubled die obverse falls near the middle of the extensive catalog of DDO varieties documented for the 1970-D Lincoln Memorial cent. Reaching the sixteenth confirmed DDO die for a single date and mintmark is itself remarkable — by comparison, many dates in the Lincoln series have produced no confirmed doubled dies at all, and even prolific dates like 1969-S or 1972 yielded far fewer distinct DDO working dies. The concentration of varieties at the 1970-D date invites speculation about production conditions at the Denver Mint during that year: elevated die consumption rates, potential equipment issues with the hubbing press, or simply the enormous volume of cents required for circulation all could have contributed to a higher-than-normal incidence of hub doubling. Variety specialists sometimes categorize 1970-D DDOs into "strong" varieties where doubling is visible under a standard 5x loupe and "weak" varieties requiring 10x or higher magnification — a practical distinction that affects both marketability and collecting appeal. Whether WDDO-016 falls into the strong or weak category depends on the specific displacement vector and its magnitude, details best confirmed through comparison with Wexler's published die marker photographs. Regardless of strength, each distinct DDO die represents a unique artifact of the die-making process preserved in copper.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Conway Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1970-D 1¢ WDDO-016
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References