1967 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

Produced during the Special Mint Set era of 1965-1967, when the Treasury suspended both proof sets and standard mint sets, this 1967 Jefferson nickel DDO-002 carries light spread on the designer's initials (FS for Felix Schlag), IN GOD, RTY of LIBERTY, the star, and the date. The SMS designation in the variety notes indicates this coin exhibits the distinctive semi-prooflike surfaces characteristic of Special Mint Set coins, which were struck with extra care on higher-quality planchets as a compromise between business strikes and proof coins during the coinage transition period. No mintmark appears on 1965-1967 coinage, as Congress eliminated all mintmarks to discourage hoarding — Philadelphia was the sole facility producing circulating coins, with San Francisco handling the SMS production. VarietyVista catalogs DDO-002 under UVC-1311 with die marriage DMR-004. The range of affected elements — spanning from the tiny designer initials near the shoulder to the date at the base — indicates a broad hub misalignment affecting the full obverse. The designer's initials and RTY of LIBERTY serve as the best diagnostic pair, as the small scale of the initials amplifies the visual effect of even light doubling, and the partial LIBERTY spread (RTY only) helps distinguish this from other 1967 DDOs that may affect different letter combinations.

Die Markers

• UVC-1311; DMR-004

External References