1970 (S) Lincoln Memorial Cent - Large Date - Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-043

Description

Continuing through the mid-forties of the Wexler doubled die obverse catalog, WDDO-043 documents a 1970-S Large Date regular strike die with doubled hubbing. At this depth in the catalog, the 1970-S WDDO series has moved well beyond the dramatically doubled dies that first brought collector attention to this date and into territory where subtle hubbing misalignments — often requiring 20x or higher magnification to confirm — constitute the cataloged varieties. These subtle varieties are no less legitimate than their dramatic counterparts; they originate from the identical manufacturing process and represent the same type of die-making anomaly. The difference is one of magnitude, not mechanism: a hub that shifts by thousandths of an inch during the second impression produces a subtle doubled die, while a shift of hundredths produces a dramatic one. No confirmed cross-references are known. The Large Date regular strike format means this variety exists on coins intended for general circulation — struck once at standard pressure from dies not specially polished beyond normal production standards. For cherry-pickers, the higher-numbered WDDO entries represent a frontier where discovery potential remains higher than for well-publicized early catalog entries, but the examination skills required are correspondingly more demanding.

Cross References

• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1970-S 1¢ WDDO-043

External References