1990 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Sharing the strong extra thickness on the lower nines that characterizes WDDO-002, the 1990 Lincoln Memorial cent WDDO-003 adds a further diagnostic: a notch on the lower left of the numeral one in the date. This notch — a small shelf or step visible under magnification where the primary and secondary hub impressions offset the straight vertical stroke of the 1 — provides a clear differentiation point between WDDO-003 and the otherwise similar WDDO-002. When multiple doubled die obverses for the same date share similar doubling characteristics, as is common when hubbing procedures produce comparable misalignment patterns across different working dies, the die markers and subtle differences in doubling geometry become essential for correct attribution. For WDDO-003, the reverse die markers include a gouge at the lower right of the I in UNITED and a gouge between the lower N and E in ONE — features that identify the specific reverse die paired with this doubled obverse. The 1990 Philadelphia production run exceeded 6.8 billion cents, and the sheer number of working dies required for this output created multiple opportunities for similar but distinct hubbing anomalies to arise independently. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint on a copper-plated zinc planchet (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) at 2.5 grams and 19mm diameter.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1990 1¢ WDDO-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References