1943 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-007

Description

Seventh in the Wexler-documented obverse doubled die census for the 1943 Jefferson nickel, WDDO-007 presents a nice counterclockwise (CCW) Class I (Rotated Hub) spread visible on LIBERTY, the star, the date, and IN GOD WE TRUST — an extensive range of affected design elements indicating a substantial rotational hub displacement during die production. The 1943 Jefferson nickel holds special significance as a wartime silver alloy issue — from mid-1942 through 1945, nickels were struck on planchets composed of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese to conserve nickel for military use, and these "war nickels" carry a large mintmark above Monticello's dome on the reverse. Felix Schlag's design for this series was in its fifth year of production, and Philadelphia struck approximately 271.17 million nickels in 1943 with the large P mintmark that appeared on circulating coins for the first time in U.S. Mint history. The reverse of this die pair is also notable: it carries a P/P repunched mintmark listed as 1943-P 5¢ WRPM-009/RPM#29, making specimens from this die marriage attributable to both a doubled die obverse and a repunched mintmark variety simultaneously. No significant obverse die markers were noted beyond the doubling itself. The CCW rotational spread on LIBERTY, the star, the date, and the motto provides multiple diagnostic checkpoints distributed across the obverse, with elements furthest from the rotation pivot showing the greatest displacement. Collectors should examine these inscription elements under 10-15x magnification, looking for consistent counterclockwise displacement, and then verify the P/P RPM on the reverse to confirm the complete die pair.

Die Markers

• Obverse: None noted.
• Reverse: The reverse has a P/P listed as 1943-P 5c WRPM-009/RPM#29.

External References