1940 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Exhibiting a precisely mapped dual-intensity pattern with partial-word involvement, DDO-001 on the 1940 Jefferson Nickel shows medium spread on LIBERTY, the five-pointed star, the date, and IN GOD, paired with light spread on WE and TR of TRUST. Die markers UVC-641 and DMR-004 confirm this working die. The partial-word detail — where only the first two letters of TRUST (TR) show light spread while the remaining UST falls below the detection threshold — provides an extraordinarily precise marker of the hub displacement's falloff boundary: the offset magnitude was sufficient to produce visible light spread through TR but decayed to invisibility by the U, placing the displacement's effective edge squarely between the second and third letters of TRUST. This level of spatial precision in the spread pattern serves as a powerful authentication tool, as mechanical doubling or post-strike damage would not replicate such a clean positional falloff within a single word. The medium spread on LIBERTY, the star, the date, and IN GOD spans the upper and lower quadrants of Felix Schlag's obverse, with IN GOD breaking off mid-motto — the companion WE receiving only light spread confirms the displacement gradient ran roughly through the motto's interior. As DDO-001, this variety holds the primary catalog position for the 1940 Philadelphia Jefferson Nickel, representing the most significant obverse hub doubling for a date early in the series' second full year of production. Struck in standard copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel), the 1940's detailed partial-word mapping provides collectors with a definitive attribution checklist. Examination under 7x magnification at LIBERTY and the date confirms the medium spread, while 10x or higher is needed to resolve the light spread on WE and TR.

Die Markers

• UVC-641; DMR-004

External References