1919 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team with photographs taken by Brian Ribar, the 1919 Buffalo Nickel WDDO-003 exhibits Class VI distorted die doubling that manifests as extra thickness on the date and LIBERTY. Class VI doubling produces subtle thickening of design elements rather than the clear separation associated with stronger doubling classes, requiring careful comparison against normal examples for reliable detection. The obverse die markers include die scratches in front of the portrait's mouth and chin on James Earle Fraser's iconic Native American profile, while the reverse shows multiple markers: a die clash visible through PL of PLURIBUS, a die gouge below the second S of STATES, and a die gouge below the O of OF. The reverse die clash through PLURIBUS indicates the dies collided at some point during production, leaving transferred design impressions on the die surface. The 1919 Buffalo Nickel was struck at the Philadelphia Mint during the middle period of this celebrated design (1913-1938), and the extensive reverse die markers — clash, gouge below S, gouge below O — provide multiple confirmation points for identifying the specific die pair, supplementing the subtle Class VI doubling on the obverse.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Whaden Curtis Cross References: None known Comments: The photos of this variety were taken by Brian Ribar.
• None known Comments: The photos of this variety were taken by Brian Ribar.; Wexler Variety ID: 1919 5¢ WDDO-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References