2015 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-004

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 2015 1¢ WDDO-004, this Lincoln Shield Cent reveals strong extra thickness on the letters of LIBERTY, with notches visible on the lower left of ERTY and the upper left of the T — a doubling pattern indicating measurable hub displacement during the die manufacturing process. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 2015 1¢ WDDO-004 with no other known catalog references. The die marker documentation is unusually thorough, tracking two obverse stages and two reverse stages independently. Obverse Stage A shows no significant markers, while Obverse Stage B develops a die crack running south from the bottom center of the W in WE into the hair at the top of Lincoln's head — a progressive failure that helps collectors determine which die state they hold. On the reverse, Stage A exhibits numerous light die scratches running SW/NE through the UNI in UNITED along with a die crack running along the top left of the shield, and Stage B shows the same markers continuing without significant change. The Lincoln Shield Cent, introduced in 2010 with Lyndall Bass's Union Shield reverse replacing the Lincoln Memorial design, is struck in copper-plated zinc composition — 99.2% zinc with 2.5% copper plating — weighing 2.50 grams with a diameter of 19.05 mm. Victor David Brenner's iconic Lincoln portrait has graced the obverse continuously since 1909. The notch-style doubling on LIBERTY is characteristic of hub impressions where the displacement vector intersects letter strokes at oblique angles, producing visible steps or notches rather than smooth parallel separation.

Attribution History

• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2015 1¢ WDDO-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References