2018 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

VarietyVista assigns DDO-001 as the primary doubled die obverse for the 2018 Lincoln Shield Cent, carrying die markers UVC-3417 and DMR-002. The doubling manifests as medium extra thickness on the date and LIBERTY — "extra thickness" describing a doubling class where the secondary hub impression does not produce a visibly separated ghost image but instead adds material to the letter and digit profiles, making them appear bolder, wider, or heavier than the standard single-hubbed versions. This extra-thickness form of doubling can be among the most challenging to attribute correctly because it mimics the appearance of a strong strike or a die in early state with full detail, requiring the examiner to compare affected letter widths against known standards for the 2018 Shield Cent to confirm the deviation exceeds normal strike variation. Three die stages have been documented. Stage A places the obverse in Early to Mid Die State (EMDS) and identifies a specific early marker: a small die chip on the upper left shield edge — one of the earliest stress-failure features to develop on Shield Cent dies because the geometric edges of Lyndall Bass's shield design create stress concentration points in the die steel. Stages B (MDS) and C (LDS) are both unconfirmed, meaning that specimens from middle and late die states have not been positively identified and published. As the primary DDO listing (number 001), this variety represents the most prominent or most significant obverse hub doubling cataloged for the 2018 Shield Cent, giving it priority status for collectors pursuing key varieties by date. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-plated zinc at 2.5 grams, the 2018 Shield Cent continued the reverse design introduced in 2010, featuring the Union Shield that replaced the Lincoln Memorial.

Die Markers

• UVC-3417
• DMR-002
• Stage A:
• Obverse is EMDS
• Small die chip on upper Left shield edge – EMDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Don Jernigan
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References