1991 (D) Jefferson Nickel - Doubled Die Reverse DDR-002

Description

Second in the reverse doubled die census for the 1991-D Jefferson nickel, DDR-002 shows light spread on E PLURIBUS UNUM, the upper reverse motto on Felix Schlag's Monticello design. VarietyVista cataloged this variety under UVC-1502 and DMR-003, documenting three die stages that trace the die's production life. Stage A represents early die state, with a very light diagonal die scratch to the lower left of the first A of AMERICA serving as the defining diagnostic, and the obverse also at EDS. Stage B advances to mid die state (unconfirmed), while Stage C reaches late die state (unconfirmed). The comments note this variety can be found in Mint Sets — the uncirculated coin sets sold by the U.S. Mint to collectors — indicating that Denver specimens with this die pair were included in the annual set packaging. Denver produced hundreds of millions of nickels in 1991, and the inclusion of DDR-002 specimens in official Mint Sets provides collectors with a specific searching strategy: examining 1991 Mint Set nickels from the Denver compartment for the diagnostic die scratch and reverse doubling. The light spread designation means the doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM is subtle, requiring examination under 15-20x magnification to confirm. The very light diagonal die scratch to the lower left of the first A of AMERICA is the critical first checkpoint — without confirming this die marker, the light doubling alone would be insufficient for positive attribution, as similar subtle effects can result from strike doubling or die deterioration. The three-stage documentation provides collectors with a framework for assessing die state on their specimens relative to the known progression.

Die Markers

• UVC-1502
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• Very light diagonal die scratch to the lower Left of the first A of AMERICA – EDS
• Obverse is EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

External References