1930-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Listed in the Cherrypickers' Guide as FS-05-1930S-101, the 1930-S Buffalo Nickel WDDO-001 is the primary doubled die obverse variety for this San Francisco Mint date and one of the more widely recognized doubled dies in the Buffalo Nickel series. A strong Class VI spread — characterized by extra thickness or distortion of design elements — is visible on LIBERTY, with a lesser but still detectable spread on the date numerals. Class VI doubling, also classified by CONECA as 1-O-VI, occurs during the hubbing process when the hub distorts as it is pressed into the die, creating subtle misregistration of design elements. The Cherrypickers' listing under FS-05-1930S-101 places this variety among those considered significant enough for dedicated variety collectors to actively search for, and its inclusion in the Wexler catalog as WDDO-001 confirms it as the top-ranked doubled die obverse for the date. The 1930-S Buffalo Nickel is a lower-mintage issue from the final years of the series — James Earle Fraser's design would continue only through 1938 — and doubled die varieties on late-date Buffalo Nickels attract collectors who appreciate the combination of series significance and attributable die variety status.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Unknown Cross References: CONECA: 1-O-VI, Cherrypickers: FS-05-1930S-101
• CONECA: 1-O-VI, Cherrypickers: FS-05-1930S-101; Wexler Variety ID: 1930-S 5¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References