1969-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

The primary doubled die obverse for the 1969 San Francisco Jefferson Nickel, DDO-001 exhibits light spread on IN GOD WE TRUST and the designer's initials FS — the monogram of Felix Schlag, who won the 1938 design competition for the series. Die markers UVC-1357 and DMR-010 confirm this working die. The involvement of Schlag's initials as a pickup point is uncommon among Jefferson Nickel DDOs, which more typically confine detectable doubling to inscriptions, the star, and the date. The FS initials are positioned at the base of Jefferson's bust truncation, rendered in small but precisely engraved letters where even light hub displacement can produce visible offset — particularly on the diagonal and curved strokes of the letters. As DDO-001, this variety anchors the catalog for 1969-S doubled die obverses and represents the most significant or first-documented variety for the date-mint. The 1969-S was struck at the San Francisco Mint as a business strike in standard copper-nickel composition. The S mintmark appears on the reverse to the right of Monticello, in the standard position used for non-wartime San Francisco issues. Collectors should examine the FS initials under 7x to 10x magnification for the clearest diagnostic evidence of the light spread.

Die Markers

• UVC-1357; DMR-010

External References