2009 (P) Lincoln Cent - Formative Years - 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 Formative Years reverse, designed and sculpted by Charles Vickers, depicts young Lincoln reading during a break from rail splitting in Indiana. 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)

External References