1941 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-004

Description

Attributed by Brian A. Ribar and carrying the Wexler Variety ID 1941 WDDR-004, this Class II+VI doubled die reverse was struck on a 1941 Jefferson nickel at the Philadelphia Mint. The Jefferson nickel, introduced in 1938 with Felix Schlag's winning design from a public competition, is composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, weighing 5.0 grams with a diameter of 21.2 mm. Philadelphia produced 203,265,000 Jefferson nickels in 1941, just prior to the wartime composition change that would begin in late 1942. The WDDR-004 exhibits a combined Class II (distorted hub) and Class VI (distended hub) doubling pattern, which produces both rotational displacement and design element stretching. This combination results in very nice doubling that shows as extra thickness with some separation on the inscriptions E PLURIBUS UNUM, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and CENTS on the Monticello reverse. All spreads increase from left to right, a characteristic consistent with the rotational component of Class II doubling where the hub pivot point creates progressively wider displacement as distance from the rotation axis increases. Reverse die markers for proper attribution include a die gouge in the bottom left corner of the right arch of Monticello, a die gouge to the upper left of the M in MONTICELLO, and a small die gouge to the left of the first T in STATES. No obverse die markers have been noted. The combined Class II+VI mechanism makes this variety particularly interesting from a die manufacturing perspective, as it indicates two distinct types of hub misalignment occurred during the same hubbing event, creating a doubled die that displays characteristics of both classes simultaneously.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian A. Ribar
• Wexler Variety ID: 1941 WDDR-004
• Expert attribution by Brian A. Ribar

External References