2018 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-010

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 2018 1¢ WDDO-010, this Lincoln Shield Cent exhibits sloped extra thickness on LIBERTY with no doubling seen on the date — a selective doubling pattern where the hub displacement produced visible effects on the motto inscription but left the date numerals unaffected, indicating the displacement vector's geometry interacted with LIBERTY's position and orientation on the die face while passing through the date area at an angle that produced no detectable secondary impression. Obverse die markers include a die scratch within the upper G of GOD, a die scratch running along the rim under the right side of the bust, and small die chips well into the field in front of the nose and mouth — the field die chips being particularly useful because their isolated positions in the open field area make them easy to locate under magnification. The reverse carries a die scratch extending from the right side of the scroll to above the L of LB (the designer's initials area) and a die chip within the lower D of UNITED. No additional cross-references are currently known. The term "sloped extra thickness" describes a doubling manifestation where the secondary impression creates a graduated thickening rather than a clearly separated secondary image — the doubling appears as a wedge-shaped broadening of the letter strokes that tapers from stronger to weaker across each affected character. The Lincoln Shield Cent was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 2018 in copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weighing 2.5 grams with a 19.05 mm diameter. Victor David Brenner designed the obverse portrait, while Lyndall Bass designed the Union Shield reverse introduced in 2010. The shield's geometric design with thirteen vertical stripes contrasts with the organic portrait on the obverse, and die markers spanning both design types provide complementary identification points for this tenth-cataloged doubled die obverse of the 2018 date.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Steve Young Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2018 1¢ WDDO-010
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References