1938 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-008

Description

Discovered by John A. Miller and cataloged as Wexler Variety ID 1938 WDDO-008, this Jefferson Nickel doubled die obverse comes from the inaugural year of Felix Schlag's design, which won a public competition held by the United States Mint in 1938 to select a new five-cent piece design. The first-year-of-issue context gives WDDO-008 special significance within the Jefferson Nickel series — the dies used for 1938 production were among the very first manufactured for this new design, and hub doubling events on inaugural-year dies document the early manufacturing learning curve as Mint technicians adapted their hubbing processes to the new portrait and lettering configuration. Schlag's obverse features a left-facing portrait of Thomas Jefferson based on Jean-Antoine Houdon's celebrated 1789 bust, flanked by IN GOD WE TRUST and LIBERTY with the date below. The 1938 Jefferson Nickel was struck in 75% copper and 25% nickel, weighing 5.0 grams with a diameter of 21.2 mm and a plain edge. The eighth doubled die obverse position among 1938 varieties indicates a healthy population of documented hub doubling events from this first-year production, consistent with the large number of working dies needed to launch a new design across the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco Mints. John A. Miller's attribution of this variety reflects the detailed examination that first-year Jefferson Nickels have received from specialists who prize inaugural-issue varieties for their historical and numismatic significance within the series that continues to this day.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Miller
• Wexler Variety ID: 1938 WDDO-008
• Expert attribution by John A. Miller

External References