1943 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-018

Description

Tracked by VarietyVista as UVC-536 with DMR-087, the 1943 Jefferson Nickel DDO-018 delivers a light spread visible on "IN GOD WE TRUST," "LIBERTY," the five-pointed star, and the date. Like the DDR-009 from 1945, this variety carries a die marriage tie-in: the comments note that the reverse is listed as RPM-068, creating another combo variety where a doubled die obverse and a repunched mintmark coexist on the same coin. Three die stages chart the die's working life: Stage A remains unconfirmed in Early Die State; Stage B in Mid Die State introduces a die gouge dot positioned west of the lower portion of the B in "LIBERTY," while the reverse simultaneously shows MDS characteristics consistent with RPM-068; Stage C in Late Die State is also unconfirmed. The 1943 Philadelphia nickel belongs to the wartime silver alloy series, when the standard copper-nickel composition was replaced with 35% silver, 56% copper, and 9% manganese to conserve nickel for the war effort. Philadelphia struck 271,165,000 war nickels in 1943, an enormous output that reflected both civilian transactional demand and the military's need for coins at bases and canteens worldwide. Eighteen documented doubled die obverses for a single date testifies to both the volume of die production and the intensity of collector examination this series has received. The light spread characteristic means magnification is essential for reliable attribution — a 10x loupe reveals the telltale separation on the motto letters and date digits that distinguishes DDO-018 from a normal strike.

Die Markers

• UVC-536
• DMR-087
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die gouge dot West of lower B of LIBERTY – MDS
• Reverse is LISTED as RPM-068 – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jon Sullivan
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References