2016 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-005

Description

Presenting strong extra thickness on the letters of LIBERTY with lighter extra thickness on the date, this 2016 Lincoln Shield Cent doubled die obverse was attributed by the Wexler Team under the designation 2016 1c WDDO-005. The strong-to-light gradient in the doubling strength suggests a pivoted or tilted hub mechanism where the misalignment between hub impressions was more pronounced in the LIBERTY zone than near the date, creating variable spread across the die face. Extra thickness doubling — where the secondary image overlaps so closely with the primary that individual separation is not visible, but design elements appear noticeably bolder — requires careful comparison against a normal strike to confirm, and the strong manifestation on LIBERTY makes this a more accessible variety for identification. Die markers anchor the attribution: a small die gouge appearing as a dot to the right of the E in WE on the obverse, and a die chip on the top right of the shield north of the S in PLURIBUS on the reverse. No other cross-references are currently known. The 2016-P Lincoln Shield Cent was struck at Philadelphia during the seventh year of the Union Shield reverse design, and five documented doubled die obverses for the date reflects the continued occurrence of hubbing misalignment across the large number of working dies prepared annually for cent production. The Shield Cent era has proven productive for doubled die discoveries on both obverse and reverse, with the design's bold relief elements making doubling diagnostics more readily apparent than on some earlier Lincoln Cent reverse types.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Charles D. Hudson Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2016 1¢ WDDO-005
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References