1943 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-005

Description

Close Class II distorted hub doubling appears on E PLURIBUS UNUM and AMERICA on this 1943 Philadelphia Mint Jefferson Nickel, attributed by John A. Wexler under Wexler Variety ID 1943-P WDDR-005. Class II doubling originates from distortion within the hub rather than misalignment between hub and die, and the close spacing of the doubled impressions requires careful magnification to resolve. The obverse carries many die dots around the date — an unusual concentration of tiny raised marks resulting from pitting or debris in the die — while the reverse shows a strong slanted die gouge between and below the LO of MONTICELLO and a slanted die scratch inside the first U of UNUM. The 1943 Philadelphia Jefferson Nickel was struck during World War II using the special wartime silver alloy of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese, which replaced the standard copper-nickel composition to conserve nickel for military armor production. These "war nickels" are identifiable by the large mintmark above the dome of Monticello — P, D, or S — the first time the Philadelphia Mint used a mintmark on any denomination. The wartime alloy's different metallurgical properties affected die wear and impression characteristics, and the many die dots around the date on this obverse may reflect how the softer alloy interacted with die surfaces during extended production runs.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler
• Wexler Variety ID: 1943-P WDDR-005
• Expert attribution by John A. Wexler

External References