1931-S Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-003

Description

Struck at the San Francisco Mint during the final years of the Buffalo Nickel series, the 1931-S carries a mintage of just 1,200,000 — making it one of the scarcest regular-issue dates in the denomination. This Class IV doubled die reverse displays a spread to the southeast, manifesting as tripling on the PL of PLURIBUS and the first U in UNUM, along with the fur on the top of the bison's back. Additional doubling appears on the UR of PLURIBUS, the fur on the shoulder, and both front and back left legs. Class IV spreads result from a rotational offset between successive hub impressions, producing directional displacement that varies across the die face. On a low-mintage Depression-era issue like the 1931-S, any die variety carries heightened numismatic interest because the surviving population is already limited. Cross-referenced as CONECA 3-R-IV and cataloged under Wexler Variety ID 1931-S 5¢ WDDR-003.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Raines Cross References: CONECA: 3-R-IV
• CONECA: 3-R-IV; Wexler Variety ID: 1931-S 5¢ WDDR-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References