1938 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Remarkably exhibiting evidence of multiple hubbing events, DDO-001 on the inaugural 1938 Jefferson Nickel shows quadruple spread on LIBERTY and TRUST alongside double spread on the five-pointed star, the date, and IN GOD WE. Die markers UVC-581 and DMR-003 confirm this working die. The quadruple designation on LIBERTY and TRUST indicates four distinct hub impressions left detectable traces on these elements — an extraordinary occurrence that implies the working die received at least four slightly misaligned hub impressions during its manufacture, with each successive impression offset enough from the previous to create separately identifiable image layers. The simultaneous presence of double spread (two impressions) on the star, date, and IN GOD WE suggests these elements were positioned closer to the hub's pivot or displacement center, receiving fewer detectably separated impressions even as LIBERTY and TRUST — situated at more displacement-sensitive positions — recorded all four. As DDO-001, this variety holds the primary catalog position for the date, and its occurrence on the 1938 issue carries heightened significance: 1938 was the inaugural year of Felix Schlag's Jefferson Nickel design, which had won a public design competition held by the United States Mint. This first-year-of-issue status combined with the extraordinary quad-spread phenomenon makes DDO-001 one of the most technically interesting varieties in the early Jefferson Nickel series. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel), the 1938 issue's relatively modest first-year mintage adds a scarcity dimension. Begin examination at LIBERTY under 10x magnification, where the four overlapping letter images are most apparent.

Die Markers

• UVC-581; DMR-003

External References