1918 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-001

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die markers UVC-037 and DMR-002 and cross-referenced as FS-801 in the Cherrypickers' Guide, this 1918 Buffalo Nickel DDR-001 displays medium spread on E PLURIBUS UNUM with light spread on UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The FS-801 Cherrypickers listing confirms this as a significant variety actively sought by collectors, and the black-and-white photographs by J. T. Stanton, courtesy of Whitman Publishing, document its recognition in the formal attribution literature. Three die stages are recorded: Stage A in early die state (EDS), unconfirmed; Stage B at mid-die-state showing a die crack from the lower tail to the rim at K-3 (the 3 o'clock position on the reverse), a light die crack from the first A of AMERICA to the rim, a double die clash through the L of PLURIBUS, and a double die clash under the chin — MDS; and Stage C at late die state (LDS), unconfirmed. The double die clash features at Stage B are particularly notable because they document two separate clash events on the same die, each leaving transferred design elements that compound the die's accumulated anomalies alongside the primary DDR doubling. The Buffalo Nickel was designed by James Earle Fraser, featuring a Native American profile on the obverse and an American bison on the reverse. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1918 in copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel) weighing 5.00 grams with a diameter of 21.2 mm during World War I, the 1918 date falls within the mid-production years of the Buffalo Nickel series (1913–1938). The combination of DDR doubling, progressive die cracks, and double die clashes documented across the die stages creates a variety with layered attribution evidence spanning multiple types of die events.

Die Markers

• UVC-037
• DMR-002
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die crack from lower tail to rim at K-3 – MDS
• Light die crack from the first A of AMERICA to rim
• Double die clash through L of PLURIBUS
• Double die clash under chin – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Unknown
• FS-801
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References