2020 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-005

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 2020 1-cent WDDO-005, this doubled die obverse variety on the Lincoln Shield Cent exhibits moderate extra thickness on LIBERTY with diagnostic asymmetry — the upper left of the Y in LIBERTY is slightly thicker than the upper right, indicating the direction of the hub displacement during the doubling event. Light notching also appears on the lower left corners of the letters ERTY in LIBERTY, a characteristic sawtooth pattern that results from the interaction between the primary and secondary hub impressions. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-plated zinc (2.50 grams, 19.05 mm diameter), the 2020 Lincoln Shield Cent carries Victor David Brenner's classic obverse portrait paired with Lyndall Bass's Union Shield reverse introduced in 2010. No cross-references to other attribution systems are currently known. Obverse die markers include a small die gouge below the E in LIBERTY, a small die gouge inside the lower portion of the E in WE, and a small die gouge below the front of Lincoln's beard — three discrete marks that collectively identify this specific obverse die. No significant reverse die markers have been noted. The moderate thickness on LIBERTY combined with the corner notching on ERTY makes this variety accessible to collectors using standard 5x-10x magnification, though the asymmetric Y thickness is the most definitive diagnostic for distinguishing this hub doubling from die deterioration doubling, which tends to produce uniform thickening without directional bias.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Matthew Vallee Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2020 1¢ WDDO-005
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References