1940 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-004

Description

DDR-004 on the 1940 Philadelphia Jefferson nickel shows medium-strength doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM, making this one of the more detectable reverse hub doubling varieties for the pre-war date. The 1940 issue was only the third year of the Jefferson nickel series following its 1938 debut, and the Philadelphia Mint produced approximately 176.4 million pieces — a significant production run that supplied much of the nation's nickel coinage during the final years before wartime composition changes. Medium-class doubling on the E PLURIBUS UNUM motto manifests as distinctly thickened or separated letter serifs visible under moderate magnification (5-7x), contrasting with the light-class varieties that require higher power to confirm. Classified as UVC-646 with die marriage DMR-009 in the VarietyVista system, DDR-004 is the fourth documented doubled die reverse for this date. Early-series Jefferson nickel varieties from 1938-1941 appeal to specialists tracing the die variety census from the very beginning of the design's production history.

Die Markers

• UVC-646; DMR-009

External References