1940-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Primary among the 1940-S Jefferson nickel's obverse doubled dies, DDO-001 presents an unusual mixed-character diagnostic: light spread combined with medium extra thickness on IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, the star, and the date. The coexistence of two doubling characteristics — spread (directional separation) and extra thickness (nearly overlapping weight increase) — on the same die suggests a complex hub misalignment that varied in character across different zones of the die face. San Francisco struck approximately 39.7 million nickels in 1940, the third year of Felix Schlag's Jefferson design. VarietyVista catalogs this as UVC-659 with die marriage DMR-004. The four affected elements span the full obverse field, indicating the hub misalignment influenced the entire die face rather than a localized area. As DDO-001, this variety holds the primary designation for 1940-S obverse doubled dies, serving as the benchmark reference. The mixed light-spread-plus-medium-thickness character provides a particularly robust diagnostic toolkit: areas showing spread display visible directional separation under magnification, while areas showing extra thickness exhibit letters and design elements with measurably heavier strokes than normal. Collectors should examine both the directional qualities and the stroke weights to confirm the dual nature of the hub misalignment.

Die Markers

• UVC-659; DMR-004

External References