1962-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-004

Description

Originally listed as WDDR-010, this Class II distorted hub doubling variety was renumbered to WDDR-004 when the original WDDR-004 listing was delisted for being too minor — a catalog maintenance action that demonstrates how attribution systems evolve as understanding of die varieties deepens over decades of research. John A. Wexler attributed this variety under ID 1962-D WDDR-004, documenting close Class II doubling visible on E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on the reverse of the 1962-D Jefferson Nickel. The obverse is separately listed as WDDO-002, indicating this die pair produced documentable doubling on both faces — a dual-variety situation that sometimes occurs when hub alignment issues affect multiple dies manufactured in the same production session. Reverse die markers include a die gouge at the tip of the lower crossbar of the E of UNITED, a detail positioned within Felix Schlag's Monticello rendering where the lettering arcs above the architectural facade. Denver produced 280,195,720 Jefferson Nickels in 1962, a substantial output from the post-war era when nickel demand remained strong for vending machines and everyday commerce. Class II doubling decreasing from left to right across the inscriptions suggests the hub distortion was anisotropic — unevenly distributed across the hub face — producing stronger displacement on the left portion of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and diminishing toward the rightward letters. This directional gradient provides a secondary diagnostic that helps distinguish WDDR-004 from other DDR varieties on the 1962-D nickel.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler
• Wexler Variety ID: 1962-D WDDR-004
• Expert attribution by John A. Wexler

External References