1945 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

Produced during the final year of the wartime silver alloy, the 1945 DDO-002 Jefferson Nickel presents medium spread on IN GOD WE TRUST — hub doubling on the motto spanning the upper obverse in Felix Schlag's design. Cataloged by VarietyVista with UVC-248 and DMR-058, this variety shows a complex die stage history: Stage B has the obverse in Mid Die State while the reverse is listed as RPM-057 (MDS), pairing this doubled die with a repunched mintmark reverse; Stage C shows both sides in Late Die State. The wartime composition of 35% silver, 56% copper, and 9% manganese was adopted in 1942 to conserve nickel for military use, giving these coins a distinctive grayish appearance. The large mintmark above Monticello on the reverse — moved there during the wartime series to signal the altered composition — is the subject of the RPM-057 repunching on the Stage B reverse. Schlag's Jefferson portrait was in its eighth year, struck at 21.2mm at Philadelphia. Focus on IN GOD WE TRUST for medium spread, and note the RPM-057 reverse die pairing in Stage B.

Die Markers

• UVC-248
• DMR-058
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse is MDS
• Reverse is LISTED as RPM-057 – MDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ed Raser
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References