2009 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die markers UVC-2688 and DMR-056, this 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cent DDO-004 presents light notching on the lower left letters of LIBERTY accompanied by extra thickness on LIBERTY, the lower hair curls, and Lincoln's beard — a combination suggesting the hub displacement primarily affected the lower-left quadrant of the obverse die face. Four documented die stages track this die's service life: Stage A is early die state (EDS, unconfirmed); Stage B is early-to-mid die state (EMDS) identified by a die crack on Lincoln's forehead, with the reverse listed as DDR-052 at EMDS showing a die crack on the shoulder, a die crack on the elbow, a minute die chip on the upper right upright of the N in CENT, and a die crack with chip across the lower left boot; Stage C is mid-die-state (MDS, unconfirmed); and Stage D is late die state (LDS, unconfirmed). The pairing of this DDO-004 obverse with a DDR-052 reverse creates a combination doubled die variety where both sides of the coin exhibit hub doubling from independent die manufacturing events — a convergence that significantly enhances collector interest and attribution complexity. The Lincoln Bicentennial Cent's 2009 Birth and Early Childhood reverse, designed by Richard Masters and sculpted by Jim Licaretz, depicts young Lincoln reading before a Kentucky log cabin. Victor David Brenner's obverse portrait has been in continuous use since 1909. Struck in copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.5 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter at the Philadelphia Mint, the 2009 program featured four rotating reverse designs commemorating the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. The EMDS die crack on the forehead in Stage B provides the most reliable identification marker for die state determination.

Die Markers

• UVC-2688
• DMR-056
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die crack on forehead – EMDS
• Reverse is LISTED as DDR-052 – EMDS
• Die crack on shoulder
• Die crack on elbow
• Minute die chip on upper Right upright of the N of CENT
• Die crack and chip across lower Left boot
• Stage C:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage D:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Noel Okay
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References