1941-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-002

Description

Very close separation on E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, with doubling intensity increasing from left to right across both inscriptions, marks WDDR-002 for the 1941-D Jefferson nickel -- a Class II distorted hub doubling attributed by Brian A. Ribar. This left-to-right gradient is the signature of Class II distortion where the hub surface warps asymmetrically, concentrating displacement at one edge of the text while leaving the other nearly undoubled. A die scratch through the lower portions of the ER in LIBERTY marks the obverse die, while on the reverse, a short die gouge between the lower portions of the L and first U of PLURIBUS provides a precise confirmation point. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 1941-D WDDR-002, this listing documents one of the earlier Denver Mint Jefferson nickel DDR varieties in the catalog. The 1941-D nickel carried a mintage of 53,432,000 coins, struck in the standard 75% copper / 25% nickel composition that would be abandoned the following year when nickel was diverted to wartime industrial use. Felix Schlag's original Monticello reverse, adopted in 1938 when his design won the open public competition for the new nickel series, provides the architectural backdrop against which the E PLURIBUS UNUM doubling is most readily detected. The increasing spread from left to right means that the letters UM at the right end of UNUM show the widest separation, making this the optimal starting point when screening 1941-D nickels for WDDR-002.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian A. Ribar
• Wexler Variety ID: 1941-D WDDR-002
• Expert attribution by Brian A. Ribar

External References