1930 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-007

Description

Exhibiting Class IV offset hub doubling with a northward spread, the 1930 Buffalo Nickel WDDO-007 shows doubled contours on the upper eyelid and the large feather of the Native American chief's headdress on James Earle Fraser's iconic obverse design. Class IV doubling occurs when the hub shifts laterally between impressions during die manufacture, creating uniform directional displacement — in this case toward the north (top of the coin), which positions the secondary image above the primary contours on the eyelid and feather. The upper eyelid and large feather are both boldly modeled design elements on Fraser's portrait, making the northward spread visible under moderate magnification. Die clash marks appear on both sides of this die pair: under the chin on the obverse and below UNUM on the reverse, indicating the obverse and reverse dies struck each other without an intervening planchet at some point during production. These clash marks serve as secondary die identification markers. The 1930 Philadelphia Mint Buffalo Nickel had a mintage of 22,849,000. Struck in 75% copper and 25% nickel at 5.0 grams. Cataloged by the Wexler Team with no known cross-references. Examine the upper eyelid and the large headdress feather for the northward Class IV spread, and check under the chin and below UNUM for the companion clash marks.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Raines Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1930 5¢ WDDO-007
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References