1938 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-004

Description

Close Class II doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM increasing from left to right characterizes this fourth doubled die reverse for the inaugural 1938 Jefferson Nickel. As the first year of Felix Schlag's award-winning design — selected through a public competition that drew 390 entries — the 1938 issue holds special significance in the series. Class II distorted hub doubling occurs when the hub deforms under pressure during the die-sinking process, causing design elements at varying distances from the center to shift by different amounts, producing a spread that intensifies progressively across the inscription. The obverse die carries a series of die scratches below IBER of LIBERTY near the back of Jefferson's head, while the reverse shows three die gouges (dots) to the lower left and below the small right window of Monticello, plus a die scratch inside the right arch — all serving as diagnostic die markers for attribution. The Depression-era Philadelphia Mint produced all 1938 nickels, with no branch mint participation that year. Schlag's Monticello reverse, depicting Thomas Jefferson's Virginia estate, would remain in production for sixty-five years with only minor modifications, and varieties from its debut year are particularly sought after by Jefferson Nickel specialists who value the historical primacy of first-year issues.

Die Markers

• Obverse: Series of die scratches below IBER of LIBERTY near the back of Jefferson's head.
• Reverse: Three die gouges (dots) to lower left and below small right window; die scratch inside right arch.

External References