1940-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Cataloged as the primary doubled die obverse for the 1940-D Jefferson Nickel, DDO-001 exhibits medium spread on LIBERTY, the five-pointed star between LIBERTY and the date, and the date itself — covering a substantial portion of the obverse design field. Denver struck 43.5 million nickels in 1940, the third year of Felix Schlag's design that had won the 1938 open competition to replace the Buffalo Nickel. Medium-class doubling indicates a clearly visible secondary image under moderate magnification, placing this variety in the middle range of doubling intensity — stronger than the "light" or "very light" categories but not as dramatic as "strong" examples. Die markers UVC-651 and DMR-004 are assigned for attribution purposes, providing secondary confirmation points beyond the doubling itself. The original cataloger noted the need to examine a specimen for new digital color photographs, a comment reflecting the ongoing effort to document every variety with high-resolution imagery for accurate attribution. As DDO-001, this is the first and most significant doubled die obverse documented for the 1940-D date, establishing the benchmark against which other potential DDO discoveries for this year and mint are compared. Collectors should examine the star device between LIBERTY and the date as one of the clearest areas to detect the medium spread.

Die Markers

• UVC-651; DMR-004

External References