2016 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Primary doubled die reverse for the 2016 Jefferson Nickel Return to Monticello design, WDDR-001 exhibits Class VIII tilted hub doubling visible along the upper left side of the door frame on the center door above the steps of the Monticello building. Class VIII doubling occurs when the hub tilts relative to the die during the hubbing process — rather than shifting laterally or rotating, the hub rocks on an axis, creating doubling that manifests unevenly across the design depending on proximity to the tilt axis. The doubling's concentration on the architectural detail of Monticello's center door frame makes this a particularly interesting variety, as it appears within one of the most detailed and intricate areas of the nickel's reverse design. Die markers include a small die gouge above the right side of the triangular window above the center door on the reverse, while no significant obverse markers were noted. The Return to Monticello reverse, in use since 2006, restored the building's depiction after the 2004-2005 Westward Journey interlude, but with a slightly redesigned rendering that modified certain architectural elements compared to the original Felix Schlag version. The 2016 date places this variety in the modern era of Jefferson Nickel production, when dies are manufactured using single-squeeze hubbing technology that has largely eliminated multi-impression hub doubling — making Class VIII tilted hub varieties especially noteworthy as they result from a different mechanical failure mode within the single-squeeze process.

Die Markers

• Obverse: None noted.
• Reverse: Small die gouge above right side of triangular window above center door above the steps.

External References