1942 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-004

Description

Struck as a wartime silver composition proof at the Philadelphia Mint, the 1942 DDR-004 Jefferson nickel reverse exhibits light spread on OF AMERICA and very light spread on UNUM from Felix Schlag's Monticello design. The 1942 proof nickels occupy a singular position in the series — they were among the last proofs struck before the Mint suspended proof production for World War II (resuming only in 1950) and the last to use the standard 75% copper / 25% nickel alloy before the emergency wartime composition of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese debuted on business strikes later that year. VarietyVista documented this variety under UVC-694 and DMR-041, with the obverse specifically listed as RED-001 (Reverse Die Entry 001), linking this obverse die to a tracked die pairing sequence. Three die stages are recorded: Stage A where the reverse is at early die state and the obverse carries the RED-001 designation at EDS, Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). Proof die preparation at Philadelphia employed specially polished dies and mirror-finish planchets, giving the struck coin a reflective field that heightens the visibility of even light hub doubling — the displaced secondary impressions on OF AMERICA create subtle but detectable shadow letters against the mirror surface. The very light classification on UNUM indicates the doubling there is barely perceptible, demanding magnification of 20x or greater and favorable lighting angles to resolve. Collectors examining this variety should use fiber-optic illumination directed at the OF AMERICA inscription on Monticello's facade at roughly 15-20x magnification, looking for secondary letter edges displaced from the primary text.

Die Markers

• UVC-694
• DMR-041
• Stage A:
• Reverse is EDS
• Obverse is LISTED as RED-001 – EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References