1924 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

Second doubled die obverse documented for the 1924 Philadelphia Mint Buffalo Nickel, DDO-002 displays extra thickness on the date numerals and the word LIBERTY. The Buffalo Nickel's distinctive design by James Earle Fraser, featuring a composite Native American portrait on the obverse and an American Bison on the reverse, was inherently challenging to produce — the high relief and intricate details of the design demanded precise die alignment, and any misalignment during the hubbing process created doubling visible on the finished coins. VarietyVista assigns this variety die markers UVC-257 and DMR-003 with a three-stage die state progression: Stage A captures the obverse and reverse in Early Die State, representing the sharpest available impression of both the doubled elements and the original design details; Stage B at Mid Die State and Stage C at Late Die State remain unconfirmed, suggesting that specimens in these later states have not yet been identified or that the die was retired before reaching advanced deterioration. The 1924 Philadelphia Mint Buffalo Nickel had a mintage of 21,620,000 coins, a moderate figure that places it comfortably within the collectible range. Doubled dies on Buffalo Nickels are particularly prized because the type's low-relief design changes introduced in 1913 (Type II, with the bison standing on a flat plane) make subtle hub doubling less obvious than on high-relief coins, requiring careful examination of date digits and lettering to detect the variety. This DDO-002 was attributed by VarietyVista and confirmed through multiple die stage observations.

Die Markers

• UVC-257
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lewis Fletcher
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References