1968-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-006

Description

Completing the sextet of known 1968-S doubled die obverses, DDO-006 rounds out the medium-spread subgroup with medium spread on IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, the five-pointed star, the date, and Felix Schlag's FS designer initials. Die markers UVC-1328 and DMR-012 confirm this as the sixth and final cataloged working die in the series. The consecutive UVC block from 1323 (DDO-001) through 1328 (DDO-006) represents a remarkable cluster of six independently doubled working dies from a single date-mint combination — a concentration that speaks to the volume of working dies the San Francisco Mint employed for 1968 nickel production and the frequency of hub misalignment events that naturally result from repeated high-pressure hubbing cycles. DDO-006's position as the highest UVC number in the block makes it the last cataloged of the six, though catalog order does not necessarily correspond to either chronological discovery order or production sequence at the Mint. The medium intensity shared with DDO-001 and DDO-005 means all three produce doubling visible at moderate magnification across all five obverse elements, and definitive separation between them relies on the die-specific markers documented under DMR-012 for this variety. As the terminal entry in this prolific doubled die family, DDO-006 holds particular interest for Jefferson Nickel specialists attempting to assemble a complete set of all six 1968-S DDO varieties. Struck at the San Francisco Mint in copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel), this coin's medium spread is most efficiently confirmed on IN GOD WE TRUST and the date under 5x to 7x magnification before cross-checking DMR-012 die markers.

Die Markers

• UVC-1328; DMR-012

External References