2017 VDDR VDDR-002

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with tracking codes UVC-???? and DMR-00? (indicating the internal catalog numbers were still pending assignment at the time of listing), this 2017 Jefferson Nickel Return to Monticello variety displays a light spread south manifesting as an extra roof of the central doorway on the Monticello building. The doubled die reverse designation VDDR-002 uses the VarietyVista naming convention rather than the Wexler WDDR prefix, reflecting separate cataloging systems maintained by different attribution services within the variety community. Die stage documentation tracks three states: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid-die-state with a die chip to the left of the designer's initials and a large die break outside the left building edge with the obverse at MDS, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The large die break outside the left edge of the Monticello building represents a significant structural failure in the reverse die, as the building's outline provides a clean geometric reference against which any break-related displacement becomes readily visible. The Jefferson Nickel was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 2017, composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel at 5.00 grams with a 21.21 mm diameter. The Monticello reverse, restored in 2006, is a refined version of Felix Schlag's original 1938 design depicting Thomas Jefferson's iconic Virginia plantation home. The progression from the die chip near the designer's initials in Stage B to the large die break at the building edge documents how localized die deterioration can escalate into major structural failures as production continues, creating increasingly dramatic specimens in later die states.

Die Markers

• UVC-????
• DMR-00?
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage  B:
• Die chip Left of the designer's initials – MDS
• Large die break outside Left building edge
• Obverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Robert Umbarger
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References