1940-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-004

Description

Class II Distorted Hub Doubling restricted to LIBERTY, the star, the date, and TRUST — notably absent from IN GOD and WE — creates a partial-coverage doubled die on the 1940-D Jefferson Nickel obverse that documents a localized hub distortion affecting only the right and lower portions of the design. Denver struck 43,540,000 Jefferson Nickels in 1940, the denomination's third year of production under Felix Schlag's design. Obverse die markers include a distinctive wavy die gouge running from the back of Jefferson's shoulder to the numeral 0 of the date, a long-path marker that provides an unmistakable confirmation point for this specific die. The reverse carries three diagnostics: a die scratch above PLURIBUS, a die gouge from the lower portions of C and the second A of AMERICA, and a die scratch below the D of UNITED extending to the first S of STATES — secondary markers distributed across the reverse lettering that collectively fingerprint this die pair. The selective coverage of the doubling — affecting LIBERTY and the date but not IN GOD WE — suggests the hub distortion's geometry placed these unaffected elements near the neutral axis of deformation, where dimensional change was minimal. This partial-coverage pattern helps researchers map the distortion field and understand the mechanical conditions present during the hubbing process at the Denver facility in its third year of Jefferson Nickel die production.

Die Markers

• Obverse: Wavy die gouge from back of Jefferson's shoulder to numeral 0 of date.
• Reverse: Die scratch above PLURIBUS; die gouge from lower portions of C and second A of AMERICA; die scratch below D of UNITED to first S of STATES.

External References