1945-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Third in the obverse doubled die census for the 1945-D Jefferson wartime nickel, WDDO-003 exhibits close Class II Distorted Hub Doubling on IN GOD WE TRUST — Felix Schlag's motto inscription positioned along the left rim of the obverse. Class II doubling in the Wexler classification system results from rotational displacement during the hubbing process, where the working hub pivoted around a center point between impressions, producing variable displacement magnitudes at different distances from the axis. The obverse die carries significant markers: strong die scratches to the left of Jefferson's mouth and chin, plus a die crack on the back of the head — multiple diagnostics that make this die readily identifiable independent of the doubling assessment. The reverse carries its own notable attributions: the die is listed as both 1945-D 5c WDDR-004 and WRPM-032, meaning this die marriage combines an obverse doubled die with a reverse doubled die and a repunched mintmark — a triple-attribution combination that is exceptionally uncommon and significantly enhances the variety's collector appeal. Denver struck approximately 37.16 million wartime silver-alloy nickels in 1945, using the 56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese composition with the large D mintmark above Monticello's dome. The convergence of three independent variety types on a single die pair — obverse DDO, reverse DDR, and RPM — makes this a particularly significant entry in the Jefferson nickel variety canon. Collectors should locate the strong die scratches near Jefferson's mouth and the die crack on the back of the head to confirm the obverse die, then examine IN GOD WE TRUST under 15-20x magnification for the close rotational spread, and verify the reverse for the DDR-004 and RPM-032 diagnostics.

Die Markers

• Obverse: Strong die scratches to left of Jefferson's mouth and chin; die crack on back of head.
• Reverse: Listed as 1945-D 5c WDDR-004.  Listed as WRPM-032.

External References