2016 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-006

Description

Stephen Young identified the Class VIII Tilted Hub Doubling that defines WDDR-006 on the 2016 Philadelphia Jefferson Nickel, where the doubled impression appears inside the triangle above the center door above the steps on Monticello's facade. This specific diagnostic location — the triangular pediment crowning the central doorway — is distinct from the more commonly reported doorway frame and step doubling that characterizes many other Return to Monticello DDR varieties. Obverse die markers include a small die dot below Jefferson's right nostril and another small die dot to the upper right of the T in LIBERTY. Reverse markers show a die gouge to the right of D in UNITED, a die dot to the upper right of the right arch, and a die dot above the E in STATES — five secondary markers that collectively provide a strong attribution fingerprint. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 2016-P WDDR-006, this variety belongs to the Return to Monticello design era that began in 2006. The triangular pediment's geometric simplicity makes doubling inside it relatively easy to identify: the clean triangular outline provides a precise boundary against which displaced secondary impressions create visible extra lines or shadow elements. Philadelphia struck approximately 1.18 billion nickels in 2016, a production volume that required thousands of working dies and generated statistical opportunities for hub misalignment across the manufacturing process.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Stephen Young
• Wexler Variety ID: 2016-P WDDR-006
• Expert attribution by Stephen Young

External References