1943-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

One of the earliest-cataloged doubled die obverses for the prolific 1943-S wartime Jefferson Nickel, DDO-002 exhibits light spread on IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, the five-pointed star, and the date — the four primary obverse pickup points on Felix Schlag's design. Die markers UVC-742 and DMR-016 fingerprint this working die. The 1943-S was struck at the San Francisco Mint in the wartime silver alloy (35% silver, 56% copper, 9% manganese), adopted as an emergency measure to conserve nickel for military applications during World War II. This composition gives the coins a distinctive grayish-silver tone and positions them among the few circulating United States coins containing silver in a denomination that normally does not. The large S mintmark above Monticello's dome — rather than in the standard small position to the right of the building — immediately identifies wartime issues. DDO-002's low catalog number suggests it was among the first doubled die obverses documented for this date, and its UVC-742 reference places it early in the die sequence tracking. Light spread across all four elements indicates uniform hub displacement affecting the full obverse, best confirmed under 5x magnification starting with the star's geometric points.

Die Markers

• UVC-742; DMR-016

External References