2006 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-019

Description

Nineteenth in the Wexler-documented obverse doubled die census for the 2006 Lincoln Memorial cent, WDDO-019 manifests as extra thickness on Lincoln's beard details accompanied by light extra thickness on the date — subtle but confirmable diagnostics on Victor David Brenner's portrait that has appeared on the cent obverse since 1909. The beard area provides particularly effective doubling detection surfaces because the fine, parallel lines representing individual beard hairs amplify even modest hub displacement, showing as slightly thickened or shadowed strands where a secondary impression overlaps the primary. The date's light extra thickness suggests the doubling energy diminished across the die face, producing a gradient of visibility from the portrait region to the peripheral date position. Reverse die markers offer secondary confirmation: a light die scratch running east-northeast from the top of the C in AMERICA provides a die-specific fingerprint independent of the doubling itself. The obverse carries no significant die markers beyond the doubling. The Wexler Team cataloged this variety under Wexler Variety ID: 2006 1¢ WDDO-019, with no additional cross-references currently known from CONECA or other attribution services. Philadelphia struck approximately 4.29 billion cents in 2006, and the nineteenth DDO position within the Wexler census indicates substantial variety documentation for this date. Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse was in its forty-seventh year of production — approaching its final years before the 2009 bicentennial designs and the 2010 Shield reverse succeeded it. Collectors should examine the beard under 15-20x magnification first, then verify the reverse die scratch at the C in AMERICA to confirm the correct die before attributing the doubling.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2006 1¢ WDDO-019
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References