1929 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Foremost among the reverse doubled dies documented for the 1929 Buffalo nickel, WDDR-001 presents a Class I counterclockwise rotational spread affecting E PLURIBUS UNUM, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, the top of the bison's head, and slightly the denomination FIVE CENTS on James Earle Fraser's iconic reverse design. Class I doubling — rotated hub — indicates the hub and die were slightly rotated relative to each other during the secondary hubbing impression, creating an angular displacement that increases with distance from the rotation center. The counterclockwise direction means the secondary impression rotated left relative to the primary, producing visible displacement across the inscription and design elements positioned around the die's periphery. No significant die markers were noted on either obverse or reverse beyond the doubling itself. Cross-references include CONECA classification 2-R-I and the Wexler Variety ID: 1929 5¢ WDDR-001, confirming agreement between attribution systems on the Class I rotated hub mechanism. Philadelphia struck approximately 32.45 million Buffalo nickels in 1929, a moderate mintage for the series. The breadth of affected elements — spanning the upper motto, the national inscription, the bison's head, and the denomination — reflects the rotational nature of Class I doubling, where the entire die face shows displacement proportional to each element's distance from the rotation axis. Fraser's deeply sculptured bison design makes the Buffalo nickel particularly effective at revealing hub doubling, as the organic contours of the animal's head and the crisp lettering both show rotational displacement clearly. Collectors should examine E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA under 10-15x magnification, where the counterclockwise rotational spread creates displaced secondary letter impressions offset from the primary text.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ron Pope Cross References: CONECA: 2-R-I
• CONECA: 2-R-I; Wexler Variety ID: 1929 5¢ WDDR-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References