1934 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-003

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as WDDR-003 for the 1934 Buffalo Nickel, this doubled die reverse exhibits doubling on the back of the left front leg at the bottom of the hair as well as below the neck of the bison. The doubling is characteristic of hub doubling, where misalignment between successive hub impressions during die manufacture creates secondary design elements on the working die that transfer to every coin struck from it. The Wexler variety identification for this piece is 1934 5-cent WDDR-003, and no other cross-references are currently known, indicating that this variety has not yet been listed in the Fivaz-Stanton or CONECA references. Diagnostic die markers aid in attribution beyond the doubling itself: on the obverse, die clash marks can be found to the right of the Native American's face below the chin, indicating that this obverse die experienced at least one clash event during its service life. On the reverse, a die crack runs from the bison's head through the letter U in UNITED, providing a secondary diagnostic that helps confirm the specific die pair. The 1934 Buffalo Nickel was struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a mintage of approximately 20 million coins — a moderate figure for the Depression-era series that reflected reduced economic demand for minor coinage. The combination of doubled die reverse, obverse die clash marks, and reverse die crack on a single coin makes this variety particularly interesting to error and variety specialists, as it documents multiple forms of die deterioration on a single die pair. Collectors seeking this WDDR-003 should examine the bison's left front leg and neck area under magnification while checking for the confirming die markers that establish die pair identity.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Unknown Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1934 5¢ WDDR-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References