1940 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-006

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Verified LegacyDoubled Die Reverse

Market Value

N/A

Rarity Index

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Discovery Date

1940

Last Sold

N/A

Description

Sixth in the Wexler reverse doubled die catalog for the 1940 Jefferson nickel, WDDR-006 exhibits Class II (Distorted Hub) doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM, with the spread increasing progressively from left to right across the motto. Felix Schlag's Jefferson nickel reverse, selected through a public design competition in 1938, depicts Monticello — Thomas Jefferson's Virginia estate — beneath the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM, and the gradually increasing spread across the motto text provides a diagnostic signature consistent with a rotational hub misalignment where one end of the inscription experiences greater displacement than the other. Die markers identify the specific working die: the obverse carries no significant markers, while the reverse shows a die scratch above the right porch of Monticello and a short die scratch above the right side of the small right window. These architectural detail markers on Schlag's Monticello depiction provide precise secondary diagnostics that confirm the correct die independent of the doubling itself. Philadelphia produced approximately 176.5 million Jefferson nickels in 1940, the third year of the series, generating substantial die usage across the production run. Class II doubling results from distortion of the hub during the die-sinking process, where the hub deforms slightly between impressions rather than being misaligned as a rigid body. The progressive left-to-right increase in spread is characteristic of this class, as the distortion radiates outward from a relatively fixed point, producing minimal displacement near the anchor and increasing displacement toward the periphery. Collectors should examine E PLURIBUS UNUM under 15-20x magnification, checking for progressively wider doubling from left to right, then verify the die scratches near the right porch and window to confirm attribution.