1945 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-004

Description

Fourth in the Wexler-documented obverse doubled die census for the 1945 Jefferson wartime nickel, WDDO-004 displays close Class II Distorted Hub Doubling on IN GOD WE TRUST — Felix Schlag's motto inscription positioned along the left rim of the obverse. Class II doubling results from a rotational pivot between hub impressions, where the working hub shifted around a center point during the secondary impression, producing displacement that varies with distance from the axis. The 1945 Jefferson nickel was struck on the wartime composition of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese — a substitution adopted in 1942 to conserve nickel for military applications, which placed a large P, D, or S mintmark above Monticello's dome on the reverse. Obverse die markers include a distinctive die dot below the U of TRUST, while the reverse carries a series of heavy die gouges above the right arch of Monticello and a die gouge between the upper portions of E and P in E PLURIBUS UNUM. These multiple reverse diagnostics — the gouges above the arch and between EP — provide strong secondary confirmation points for identifying the correct die marriage independent of the obverse doubling. Philadelphia struck approximately 119.41 million wartime nickels in 1945, with the silver-alloy composition creating different die wear patterns than the standard copper-nickel alloy used before 1942 and after 1945. The close Class II designation indicates the doubling is subtle, requiring careful examination of IN GOD WE TRUST under 15-20x magnification to detect the rotational displacement. Collectors should first locate the die dot below U on the obverse and the heavy gouges above the right arch on the reverse to confirm the die pair before evaluating the close spread on the motto inscription.

Die Markers

• Obverse: Die dot below U of TRUST.
• Reverse: Series of heavy die gouges above right arch; die gouge between upper portions of E and P of E PLURIBUS UNUM.

External References