1916-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-001

Description

Catalogued by VarietyVista with markers UVC-252 and DMR-002, the 1916-S Buffalo Nickel DDR-001 is defined by a medium spread to the West appearing as an extra front right leg on the bison. The Buffalo Nickel, designed by James Earle Fraser, depicts a bison in profile on the reverse, making leg geometry a natural focus for doubled die examination. Three die stages are documented. Stage A is Early Die State (unconfirmed). Stage B is Middle Die State (unconfirmed). Stage C is Late Die State, distinguished by a die crack through AM of AMERICA extending to the E of EPU, a separate crack through the R of AMERICA, a die clash through PLURIBUS, and a die clash under the chin — all LDS characteristics. The progressive development of cracks and clash marks in Stage C makes late-stage examples a distinct collecting subset, identifiable without reference to the doubling alone. The 1916-S Buffalo Nickel is an actively collected San Francisco Mint date from the midpoint of the design's 1913-1938 production run. DDR-001 is the first and primary doubled die reverse identified for this date and mintmark combination in the VarietyVista catalog.

Die Markers

• UVC-252
• DMR-002
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Die crack through AM of AMERICA to E of EPU – LDS
• Die crack through R of AMERICA
• Die clash through PLURIBUS
• Die clash under chin – LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lewis Fletcher
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References