1914 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Among the most debated early Buffalo Nickel varieties, this 1914 DDO-001 exhibits light hub doubling spread south on the eyelid and nostril of the Indian Head portrait. What makes this variety genuinely controversial is the possibility that it may represent a 1914 over 1913 overdate — designated by other researchers as Die #11 in the 14/3 category. As the VarietyVista cataloger noted: "Others have identified this variety as a 14/3, Die #11. I am not yet ready to call it an overdate, but it is definitely a DDO." This careful distinction reflects the difficulty of separating true overdates, where a die hubbed with one year's date is re-hubbed with the next year's hub, from conventional doubled die obverses created by misaligned repeat hubbings of the same design. The die progression is tracked under UVC-236 and DMR-003: Stage A is an unconfirmed early die state; Stage B shows a die clash visible under the chin at an early-to-mid die state, with the reverse also at EMDS; Stage C is an unconfirmed late die state. Whether ultimately confirmed as an overdate or maintained as a doubled die, DDO-001 represents a significant variety from the early years of the Buffalo Nickel series, and its dual classification debate continues to engage variety specialists.

Die Markers

• UVC-236
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die clash under chin – EMDS
• Reverse is EMDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Gately
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References