1930 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-005

Description

Fifth in the obverse doubled die census for the 1930 Buffalo nickel, DDO-005 exhibits light spread on LIBERTY and the date on James Earle Fraser's iconic obverse depicting a Native American chief in profile. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-102 and DMR-006, documenting three die stages — Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed) — with all three stages awaiting specimen confirmation and digital photographs. The cataloger's note requesting a specimen for photography and die state information indicates this variety was documented from reports or limited examination rather than comprehensive hands-on study, leaving opportunities for future researchers to expand the documentation. Philadelphia struck approximately 22.85 million Buffalo nickels in 1930, a Depression-era mintage that reflects the reduced demand for circulating coinage during the early years of the economic downturn. Fraser's Buffalo nickel obverse positions LIBERTY vertically along the left rim and places the date at the lower right beneath the Native American portrait — two areas where light hub doubling would produce subtle but confirmable displacement visible under moderate magnification. The light spread designation indicates the doubling falls at the lower end of the visibility spectrum, requiring careful examination to distinguish from normal striking characteristics or die wear effects. Five documented obverse doubled dies for the 1930 Philadelphia Buffalo nickel demonstrates meaningful variety collector interest in this Depression-era date. The combination of unconfirmed die stages and the request for specimen photographs suggests DDO-005 represents a less frequently encountered variety where additional documentation would benefit the collecting community. Collectors who believe they have located a specimen matching this variety should compare against the VarietyVista listing under UVC-102 and consider submitting photographs for die state documentation.

Die Markers

• UVC-102
• DMR-006
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bill Fivaz
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References