1939-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Classified as Class V pivoted hub doubling, this 1939 Denver Mint Jefferson Nickel exhibits a very close clockwise spread from a pivot point at 11 o'clock, with the doubling visible on the five-pointed star, the date, IN, and the back of Jefferson's queue (ponytail). Pivoted hub doubling occurs when the hub rotates around a fixed point between successive impressions, producing spread that increases with radial distance from the pivot — elements near the pivot show minimal doubling while elements farther away show progressively more. The obverse die carries a slanted die scratch between the upper portions of the U and S of TRUST, while the reverse shows a die dot to the left of the F of FIVE and a slanted die scratch above the M of UNUM. The 1939-D Jefferson Nickel was struck at the Denver Mint during only the second year of the Felix Schlag design, which had been selected from a public competition in 1938. Denver's mintage for 1939 was approximately 3.5 million pieces — remarkably low compared to later years — making die varieties from this early date in the series relatively scarce in absolute terms. The very close spacing of the pivoted doubling means that magnification of at least 8x is recommended for attribution, particularly on the star and queue where the rotational spread is most detectable against the design's fine detail.

Die Markers

• Obverse: Slanted die scratch between the upper portions of U and S of TRUST.
• Reverse: Die dot to left of F of FIVE; slanted die scratch above M of UNUM.

External References