1957 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-003

Description

Presenting Class II distorted hub doubling on the reverse of a 1957 Proof Jefferson Nickel, WDDR-003 shows a very close spread on UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with slight extension onto PLURIBUS. The subtlety of this doubling — described as "very close" — places it among the varieties that require careful magnified examination for positive identification, distinguishing it from machine doubling or die deterioration effects. The die marker profile is particularly valuable for this variety: the obverse die is listed as 1957 Pr 5c WDDO-001, establishing that this reverse was paired with the first documented doubled die obverse for 1957 proof nickels — creating a DDO/DDR die marriage. Reverse-specific markers include a die scratch positioned between the long and small left windows of Monticello's facade, plus a die dot located above and between the letters L and U of PLURIBUS. These architectural details of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello estate provide the fine design elements where hub doubling manifests most visibly. The 1957 proof nickel was struck during the mature period of the original Felix Schlag Jefferson design, which had been in production since 1938. Proof production at Philadelphia employed specially prepared dies and planchets to create the mirror-finish fields that make even subtle doubling more detectable than on business strikes. The DDO-001/DDR-003 die marriage is notable because collectors can pursue both sides of the same coin for doubled die characteristics, making specimens struck from this die pair doubly interesting for variety attribution research.

Die Markers

• Obverse: Listed as 1957 Pr 5c WDDO-001.
• Reverse: Die scratch between long and small left windows; die dot above and between LU of PLURIBUS.

External References