1943-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-012

Description

Approaching the upper end of the known 1943-S doubled die obverse catalog, DDO-012 exhibits light spread on IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, the five-pointed star, and the date on this San Francisco Mint wartime silver Jefferson Nickel. Die markers UVC-759 and DMR-039 uniquely identify the working die. The proximity of UVC-759 to UVC-757 (DDO-010) — only two numbers apart — suggests these dies may have been manufactured in close succession during the same production period at the San Francisco facility, though catalog ordering reflects documentation sequence rather than die creation chronology. DDO-012's position near the end of the known sequence makes it one of the later-documented varieties, potentially discovered after the more prominent earlier entries had already been published. The wartime silver alloy (35% silver, 56% copper, 9% manganese) was mandated by the War Production Board to free standard nickel metal for armor plating and other defense applications, and San Francisco's 1943 output contributed significantly to the overall wartime nickel production. For variety specialists, the challenge of assembling a complete run of 1943-S DDOs from DDO-001 through DDO-013 represents one of the more ambitious single-date collecting goals within the Jefferson Nickel series.

Die Markers

• UVC-759; DMR-039

External References