1941 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-002

Description

Among the strongest reverse doubled dies documented for early Jefferson nickels, the 1941 DDR-002 exhibits very strong extra thickness across a comprehensive set of reverse elements: E PLURIBUS UNUM, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, FIVE CENTS, both building edges of Monticello, and the MO and ELLO portions of MONTICELLO. Felix Schlag's rendering of Thomas Jefferson's Charlottesville estate provides abundant architectural and textual detail for doubling detection, and DDR-002 affects an unusually wide range of these elements. Philadelphia struck approximately 203.3 million nickels in 1941, a year of rapidly expanding coinage production as the nation's defense buildup accelerated economic activity ahead of formal entry into World War II. Die markers UVC-667 and DMR-004 catalog this variety within the VarietyVista system. The "very strong extra thickness" classification places DDR-002 near the top of the doubling intensity scale — the secondary hub impression landed close enough to the primary that individual letters and architectural elements appear noticeably bolder rather than producing separated secondary images, yet the displacement was sufficient to be classified as very strong rather than merely moderate. The involvement of both building edges — the vertical lines defining Monticello's facade — provides an architectural diagnostic that complements the textual evidence, as these straight lines clearly reveal any thickening that would be harder to discern on curved design elements. DDR-002 holds the second position in the 1941 reverse doubled die census, suggesting it ranks among the most significant reverse varieties for this date.

Die Markers

• UVC-667; DMR-004

External References