1943 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-022

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista with UVC-1698 and DMR-097, the 1943 DDO-022 is a Jefferson nickel doubled die obverse variety displaying light spread on LIBERTY, the star, and the date. The 1943 Jefferson nickel was struck during World War II in the wartime alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese, adopted to conserve nickel for military applications. This composition gives the coin a distinctive appearance compared to the standard pre-war and post-war nickel alloy, and the silver content means these wartime nickels have intrinsic precious metal value. The coin weighs 5.0 grams with a 21.2 mm diameter. Three die stages have been documented for DDO-022: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state featuring a die crack in the upper hair and a die gouge dot between upper pillars 3 and 4 of Monticello on the reverse. The late die state markers are particularly useful for attribution, as the die crack in the hair and the precisely located die gouge dot between specific Monticello pillars provide unambiguous diagnostics. The light nature of the spread on LIBERTY, the star, and the date places DDO-022 among the more subtle doubled die obverse varieties for the 1943 date, distinguishing it from the stronger DDO-001 and DDO-005 that show more pronounced doubling on this same wartime issue. Felix Schlag's original Jefferson portrait, which had been in use since 1938, provides the obverse design context for this variety. The wartime nickel composition, combined with the large mintmark placed above Monticello's dome to identify the silver-content coins, creates a unique collecting context for varieties struck during this 1942-1945 period.

Die Markers

• UVC-1698
• DMR-097
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Die crack in upper hair – LDS
• Die gouge dot between upper pillar # 3 and # 4 – LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References