1942 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Struck on a wartime silver-composition planchet, the 1942 Jefferson Nickel DDO-004 exhibits light hub doubling spread across IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, the star, and the date — all obverse legend elements that frame Felix Schlag's left-facing portrait of Thomas Jefferson. Die markers cataloged under UVC-697 and DMR-046 document three progressive die stages: Stage A where both obverse and reverse surfaces present in Early Die State, Stage B transitioning the obverse to Mid Die State with a die crack developing from the rim south through the right leg of the second U in PLURIBUS extending to the dome, plus a second die crack running right of the dome south to the rim between pillars #3 and #4 and through the F of OF. Stage C reaches Late Die State, though this final stage remains unconfirmed. The 1942 date marks the first year of the wartime silver alloy (56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese), replacing the standard copper-nickel composition to conserve nickel for military applications. Cataloged by VarietyVista, DDO-004 pairs its light obverse doubling with an informative die crack progression that records the die's structural deterioration through at least two confirmed stages, making die state collecting a secondary pursuit alongside the doubled die attribution itself.

Die Markers

• UVC-697
• DMR-046
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• Obverse is MDS
• Die crack from rim South through Right leg of the second U of PLURIBUS to dome – MDS
• Die crack Right dome South to rim between pillar # 3 and # 4 and through F of OF
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Charles Bondurant
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References