2005 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-036

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista with UVC-1620 and DMR-039, the 2005 Jefferson Nickel DDR-036 from the Westward Journey series shows strong spread west of the trunk between the first and second branches of the right tree on Joe Fitzgerald's American Bison reverse design. This variety is noted as SMS (Satin Finish) and can be found in Mint Sets, identifying it as one of the special satin finish strikes produced exclusively for 2005 uncirculated sets rather than a standard circulation strike or proof. Three die stages are documented: Stage A shows the reverse in EDS with a die gouge dot above the C of CLARK and the obverse also in EDS, Stage B is unconfirmed MDS, and Stage C is unconfirmed LDS. The die gouge above CLARK provides a useful early-state attribution marker, as this feature would be present from the beginning of the die's service life. The 2005 Westward Journey nickels represented the second and final year of the program that introduced four new designs across 2004-2005, with the American Bison reverse and Ocean in View reverse replacing the Peace Medal and Keelboat designs from 2004. The bison design's naturalistic rendering of a landscape with trees provided organic design elements — branches, trunks, foliage — where hub doubling manifests differently than on architectural or typographic features. Thirty-six documented DDRs for 2005 Westward Journey nickels reflects the enormous collector interest that these distinctive designs generated, with satin finish varieties from mint sets adding another dimension to the pursuit. The strong west-directed spread between tree branches makes DDR-036 one of the more visible doubled die varieties available within the Westward Journey catalog.

Die Markers

• UVC-1620
• DMR-039
• Stage A:
• Die gouge dot above the C of CLARK – EDS
• Obverse is EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Kenneth Russell
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References