1945 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-007

Description

Attributed by Robert J. Lawson and cataloged as 1945-P WDDO-007, this Class II (Distorted Hub Doubling) doubled die obverse variety appears on a 1945 Jefferson nickel struck at the Philadelphia Mint. The 1945 Jefferson nickel was the final year of the Wartime Silver Alloy composition (56% copper, 35% silver, 9% manganese), which replaced the standard copper-nickel alloy from late 1942 through 1945 to conserve nickel for the war effort. These wartime nickels weigh 5.0 grams with a 21.2 mm diameter and feature the large mintmark above Monticello's dome on the reverse. The Class II distorted hub doubling on WDDO-007 produces a counterclockwise spread from a pivot point at approximately 10 o'clock, visible on the star, the date, IN GOD, and LIBERTY. This CCW rotational component creates progressively wider displacement as distance increases from the pivot, making design elements near the 4 o'clock position (the date area) show the strongest separation. The reverse of this die is itself an RPM, listed as 1945-P 5-cent WRPM-047 showing P/P West, creating a dual-attribution coin where the obverse carries a doubled die while the reverse exhibits a repunched mintmark. Reverse die markers include a strong north-south die scratch between the right side of the building and the rim, along with several die scratches running west-southwest to east-northeast through ERICA of AMERICA. Robert J. Lawson's attribution of this variety documents an interesting intersection of two different die preparation anomalies on a single coin from the final year of wartime composition, making WDDO-007 both a doubled die variety and a companion to a repunched mintmark variety, doubling its appeal for variety collectors.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Robert J. Lawson
• Wexler Variety ID: 1945-P WDDO-007
• Expert attribution by Robert J. Lawson

External References