1971-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-021

Description

Discovered by Gary G. Wagnon, this Class II distorted hub doubling on the 1971-S proof Jefferson Nickel produces a close spread affecting LIBERTY, the five-pointed star, the date, and Felix Schlag's FS designer initials. The "close" classification indicates the secondary hub impression sits near the primary, producing tight extra thickness rather than wide separation between doubled images. Two small die dots on Jefferson's nose and a die gouge on the rim under the front tip of the collar serve as obverse die markers for attribution. A particularly noteworthy aspect of WDDO-021 is its pairing: the reverse die used with this obverse is itself a doubled die, cataloged as 1971-S Pr 5c WDDR-027. This combination variety — where both the obverse and reverse dies carry independent hub doubling events — creates a coin with doubled die diagnostics on both sides, significantly elevating its interest to variety specialists who collect die pair combinations. The Wexler catalog designation 1971-S WDDO-021 Proof confirms the San Francisco Mint proof strike origin. Proof nickels from 1971 were produced exclusively for annual proof sets using polished planchets and specially prepared dies, and the mirror-finish surfaces make even close-spread Class II doubling more readily detectable than equivalent doubling on business strikes. The 1971-S proof nickel mintage was driven entirely by proof set sales, providing a finite and relatively well-preserved population from which collectors can source specimens showing both the obverse DDO-021 and the reverse DDR-027 characteristics.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Gary G. Wagnon
• Wexler Variety ID: 1971-S WDDO-021 Proof
• Expert attribution by Gary G. Wagnon

External References