1939 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-005

Description

Documented with specific die markers — obverse showing a diagonal die scratch to the right of the upper portion of G in GOD and a die scratch from the back of Jefferson's nostril curving SW to the front of the profile above his upper lip, with no reverse markers noted — this 1939 Jefferson Nickel WDDO-005 exhibits Class II Distorted Hub Doubling with an extremely close tripling spread toward the center on IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, the star, and the date. The tripling is best observed on the lower portions of IN GOD, the upper portion of B in LIBERTY, and the right point of the star when viewed from the rim direction. The center-directed spread indicates the secondary and tertiary hub impressions shifted slightly inward relative to the primary, compressing the tripled images toward the coin's center rather than expanding them toward the rim. The extremely close nature of the tripling means the three impressions sit very near each other, requiring careful examination under 10x or higher magnification to distinguish the individual impression layers. Felix Schlag designed the Jefferson Nickel in 1938, and the 1939 issue represents only the second year of the series' production. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-nickel composition — 75% copper and 25% nickel — the coin weighs 5.00 grams with a diameter of 21.21 mm. The die scratch curving from Jefferson's nostril to above his upper lip follows the contour of the profile, making it a particularly memorable and easily located attribution marker. As an early-date Jefferson Nickel variety from just the second year of the series, the 1939 WDDO-005 holds special interest for collectors building specialized Jefferson Nickel doubled die sets.

Die Markers

• Obverse: Diagonal die scratch to right of upper portion of G of GOD; die scratch from back of Jefferson's nostril curving SW to front of profile above his upper lip.
• Reverse: None noted.

External References