1968-S Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Produced in the first year that Proof coinage moved to the San Francisco Mint, this 1968-S Jefferson Nickel WDDR-001 carries Class II Distorted Hub doubling showing a close spread on E PLURIBUS UNUM that decreases from left to right. The directional gradient is the signature of Class II doubling, where a warped or distorted hub created progressively less displacement as it moved across the die face during the impression. The leftmost letters of the motto received the strongest doubling, tapering to minimal displacement by the final letters — a pattern collectors can use as a primary diagnostic. Reverse die markers provide additional attribution support: a die gouge sits to the lower left of the first T of STATES, die scratches run between the E and R of AMERICA, and die gouges appear to the lower left of the P of PLURIBUS. The obverse carries no noted die markers. The 1968-S Proof Jefferson Nickel marks a pivotal transition in American Proof coinage history. Prior to 1968, Proof coins were produced at Philadelphia, but the Coinage Act of 1965 relocated Proof production to San Francisco, where the S mintmark would become synonymous with collector-quality strikes for decades to come.

Die Markers

• Obverse: None noted.
• Reverse: Die gouge to lower left of first T of STATES; die scratches between E and R of AMERICA; die gouges to lower left of P of PLURIBUS.

External References