1940 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-006

Description

Class I rotated hub doubling — the most dramatic doubling mechanism, where the entire secondary hub impression is angularly displaced relative to the primary — defines WDDO-006 for the 1940 Jefferson nickel. The doubling affects three major inscription groups: IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, and the date, indicating a substantial rotational displacement between the two hub impressions that struck this working die. Felix Schlag's Jefferson portrait, selected through a 1938 design competition, provides the obverse canvas where Class I doubling produces visible secondary images on each affected element. A diagnostic die gouge inside the numeral 0 of the date anchors identification of this specific obverse die, while the reverse carries its own attribution — listed as 1940 5¢ WDDR-009 — meaning this die pair produces both an obverse and a reverse doubled die on the same coin. Philadelphia struck approximately 176.5 million Jefferson nickels in 1940, the third year of the series, when production processes were still being refined for the relatively new design. Dual-sided doubling from a single die marriage is comparatively unusual and provides collectors with the opportunity to attribute two distinct varieties from one specimen. Rotated hub doubling generates progressively wider separation between primary and secondary images as distance from the rotation pivot point increases, so elements furthest from the pivot — typically near the rim — will show the most pronounced doubling. Collectors should examine IN GOD WE TRUST along the upper rim and the date at the lower right for the widest angular separation, then confirm the obverse die by locating the gouge inside the 0 digit at 10-15x magnification.

Die Markers

• Obverse: Die gouge inside numeral 0 of date.
• Reverse: Listed as 1940 5c WDDR-009.

External References