2010 (P) Lincoln Shield Cent - DIC, DDO 001

Description

Combining two distinct die anomalies on a single coin, this 2010 Philadelphia Lincoln Shield cent carries both a doubled die obverse and a die chip error. The DDO component matches Wexler WDDO-005, displaying extra thickness on the date numerals 2010 — a hub-doubling signature where the secondary impression nearly overlapped the primary, producing measurably bolder digits rather than clearly separated secondary images. Independently, a die chip on the reverse appears left of the Union shield device, positioned north of the LU in PLURIBUS. Die chips form when a small fragment of the hardened die steel breaks away, leaving a void that fills with metal during striking and produces a raised irregular blob on the finished coin. Lenny Borkowski designed the Shield reverse that debuted in 2010, replacing the Lincoln Memorial reverse that had served since 1959, and the first year of any new design often yields interesting die varieties as the Mint refines its production processes for the untested design. Philadelphia produced over 1.96 billion Shield cents in the inaugural year, an enormous output that generated hundreds of working die pairs. The co-occurrence of a doubled die obverse with an unrelated reverse die chip on the same coin represents two independent manufacturing events — the DDO originating during die production and the die chip developing during the die's service life in the press — captured together on a single struck planchet.