2004 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Northwest spread creates distinctive notching on the lower left portions of BERTY in LIBERTY and the upper left underside of the horizontal bar of T in LIBERTY, while separation lines appear on the lower E and R of LIBERTY — a focused doubled die obverse affecting the inscription area of this 2004 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial Cent. Designated WDDO-001 by the Wexler Team, this is the primary doubled die obverse cataloged for the date. The notching pattern — where hub displacement creates stair-step indentations along letter edges rather than smooth outlines — indicates the secondary impression was offset at an angle that clipped portions of the letter profiles, producing the characteristic notched appearance. The 2004 Philadelphia cent was among the last Memorial Cents produced before the 2009 Bicentennial redesign, struck on copper-plated zinc at 19mm in enormous quantities as the denomination continued to serve as America's primary small-change coin. Brenner's Lincoln portrait was in its ninety-sixth year of continuous production. The concentration of doubling on LIBERTY rather than IN GOD WE TRUST or the date suggests the hub displacement was localized to one area of the die, a pattern consistent with minor hub misalignment during the second impression. Look for the notched edges on BERTY and the T's horizontal bar, plus separation lines on E and R.

Die Markers

• Obverse

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References