1967 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-002

Description

Produced during the Special Mint Set (SMS) era when mintmarks were suspended, DDR-002 of the 1967 Jefferson Nickel shows light spread on all three major reverse text areas: E PLURIBUS UNUM, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and FIVE CENTS, with the doubling increasing progressively from left to right. The comprehensive coverage of every reverse inscription distinguishes this from varieties that affect only one or two text blocks. SMS coins from 1965 through 1967 were struck without mintmarks as part of the Treasury's effort to discourage the coin hoarding that had plagued the early 1960s, so this variety carries no mint facility identifier. Die markers UVC-1312 and DMR-005 establish the die identity. The left-to-right progressive increase across all three inscriptions is consistent with a pivot-point hub misalignment where elements on the right side of the die received greater displacement than those on the left. DDR-002 is the second documented doubled die reverse for the 1967 date, following DDR-001 which is paired with the DDO-001 obverse. The SMS production process — using better-than-standard care but not full proof procedures — created coins with a distinctive satin-like finish, and die varieties on SMS issues are cataloged as a distinct category within the Jefferson Nickel series because their production methods and population differ fundamentally from business strikes and proofs.

Die Markers

• UVC-1312; DMR-005

External References