1940 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-003

Description

Discovered by David Mulberry, this 1940 Jefferson Nickel doubled die reverse exhibits Class II distorted hub doubling — a mechanism where the working hub was slightly distorted during manufacture, producing a close spread that increases in magnitude from left to right across E PLURIBUS UNUM. The progressive intensification of the spread is characteristic of Class II doubling, where the distortion compounds as distance from the neutral axis increases. Only the second year of Jefferson Nickel production when this die was made, the 1940 date belongs to the earliest chapter of Felix Schlag's design that won a public competition in 1938. Die markers aid attribution: the obverse shows a die scratch near the rim above IN GOD WE TRUST, while the reverse presents a series of die scratches to the right of the M of UNUM, a die gouge through the upper portions of AM of AMERICA, and two short die scratches above the M of MONTICELLO. Cataloged under Wexler Variety ID 1940 WDDR-003, this early-series Jefferson Nickel variety documents the hubbing challenges that accompanied the design's young production history.

Attribution History

• Discovered by David Mulberry
• Wexler Variety ID: 1940 WDDR-003
• Expert attribution by David Mulberry

External References