1938 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Documented by John A. Wexler himself — the namesake of the Wexler attribution system — and cataloged as Wexler Variety ID 1938 WDDO-003, this third doubled die obverse for the 1938 Jefferson Nickel carries a Class II (Distorted Hub Doubling) classification. The 1938 Jefferson Nickel holds special significance as the inaugural year of the series, when Felix Schlag's competition-winning design replaced the Buffalo Nickel that had been in production since 1913. Die markers on the obverse include a series of die gouges running through the lower portions of BER in LIBERTY, a die gouge inside the left portion of the W of WE, and a slightly slanted die scratch to the left of the L of LIBERTY. On the reverse, two short parallel die scratches extend from the center of the F of FIVE to the upper portion of the I of FIVE. The Class II distorted hub doubling would manifest as spread across the obverse inscriptions and portrait details, with the magnitude varying depending on the distortion geometry. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-nickel composition (75% Cu, 25% Ni) at 5.0 grams and 21.2 mm diameter, the 1938 Jefferson Nickel had a relatively modest mintage of 19,515,365 pieces for the Philadelphia issue. Having the system's creator personally document this first-year variety adds provenance significance to WDDO-003, connecting it directly to the attribution methodology that would eventually catalog thousands of die varieties across all U.S. denominations.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler
• Wexler Variety ID: 1938 WDDO-003
• Expert attribution by John A. Wexler

External References