1943-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-005

Description

Fifth doubled die reverse for the 1943-S Jefferson Nickel, DDR-005 shows a light spread on UNUM and OF AMERICA in a pattern consistent with minor hub misalignment during die preparation. The 1943-S Jefferson Nickel belongs to the wartime silver alloy series (1942-1945) struck in a composition of 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese — a special alloy adopted because nickel metal was critically needed for armor plating and other military applications during World War II. These wartime nickels are visually distinctive with their large P, D, or S mintmark positioned above the dome of Monticello on the reverse, making the mintmark location a quick identifier of the silver-alloy composition. VarietyVista catalogs DDR-005 with die markers UVC-755 and DMR-033 across three stages: all three stages span from unconfirmed Early Die State through unconfirmed Mid Die State to confirmed Late Die State on both obverse and reverse. The pattern of only Late Die State specimens being confirmed suggests that this die pair remained in service long enough to reach advanced wear before coins bearing the variety were identified by researchers. The San Francisco Mint produced 21,640,000 wartime nickels in 1943, a modest figure compared to Philadelphia's output, making San Francisco varieties somewhat scarcer in the surviving population. DDR-005's light spread on UNUM and OF AMERICA requires careful examination to distinguish from die deterioration doubling, which can mimic true hub doubling on worn dies — the confirmed LDS specimens likely show both the doubling and the general softening characteristic of advanced die wear. Attributed by VarietyVista.

Die Markers

• UVC-755
• DMR-033
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Reverse and Obverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References