1955 Lincoln Cent, Wheat (1909-1958)

Intriguing History

A Philadelphia Mint worker preparing a die accidentally created a wildly doubled impression of the date and lettering, and thousands of the visibly doubled cents slipped into circulation before anyone caught the error. Because the doubling was obvious without magnification, the coins spread quickly through pocket change and were even reportedly handed out in cigarette packs as a novelty. It became the first doubled-die variety to capture mainstream attention and remains one of the most recognizable error coins in American history.