1968-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Occupying the fourth catalog slot among six 1968-S doubled die obverses, DDO-004 exhibits light spread on IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, the five-pointed star, the date, and Felix Schlag's FS designer initials, confirmed by die markers UVC-1326 and DMR-010. The progressive UVC sequence — 1324 through 1328 spanning DDO-002 through DDO-006 — documents what is effectively a census of hub doubling events across the San Francisco Mint's 1968 nickel die population, with each sequential number representing a distinct working die that experienced its own misalignment during the hubbing process. DDO-004's light spread across all five obverse elements mirrors the pattern seen on DDO-002 and DDO-003, placing it in the "light" intensity subgroup alongside those varieties and contrasting it with DDO-001, DDO-005, and DDO-006, which carry medium spread classifications. This intensity distinction is diagnostically meaningful: the light-spread trio (DDO-002 through DDO-004) shares a narrower range of hub displacement magnitudes compared to the medium-spread group, and collectors attempting to differentiate between light-spread specimens must rely primarily on the unique die markers documented under each DMR designation rather than on differences in doubling strength alone. The San Francisco Mint's copper-nickel nickel production in 1968 generated enough working dies to produce this statistically notable cluster of varieties. Careful comparison of DMR-010's documented die characteristics against DMR-008 and DMR-009 provides the definitive separation between DDO-004 and its light-spread counterparts.

Die Markers

• UVC-1326; DMR-010

External References