1921 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista, DDO-001 is the primary doubled die obverse for the 1921 Buffalo Nickel struck at the Philadelphia Mint. This variety exhibits a medium spread visible on the nostril of the Native American portrait designed by James Earle Fraser. Die stages are tracked under Universal Variety Cross-reference UVC-104 and Die Marker Reference DMR-002. Stage A represents early die state, Stage B mid-die state, and Stage C shows both obverse and reverse in late die state, documenting progressive deterioration across the die pair's production life. Each stage remains unconfirmed, indicating definitive photographic confirmation from multiple specimens is still pending. The 1921 Philadelphia Buffalo Nickel was produced during the later years of the Type 2 design with the recessed mound beneath the bison. DDO-001 as the first cataloged doubled die obverse for this date establishes the baseline for subsequently discovered doubled dies, with the nostril area serving as the primary diagnostic zone for attribution.

Die Markers

• UVC-104
• DMR-002
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Kenneth Hahn
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References