1947-S Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-003

Description

Brian Ribar documented this Class II (Distorted Hub Doubling) variety on the 1947-S Jefferson Nickel, where the reverse doubling exhibits both a progressive spread gradient and a tripling anomaly. Class II doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM increases from left to right across the motto — the E shows minimal displacement, while UNUM at the right end displays the widest separation, and crucially, UNUM shows tripling rather than simple doubling. Tripling indicates that the hub contacted the die in three distinct positions during manufacture, leaving three overlapping impressions of the affected letters — a relatively uncommon phenomenon that significantly enhances the variety's diagnostic interest and collector appeal. Slight doubling also extends to AMERICA and CENTS, placing these inscriptions at the lower end of the displacement gradient. Die markers include an obverse die scratch inside the numeral 9 of the date and an extensive series of reverse die scratches: in the left arch of Monticello, below the M of UNUM, through the second O of MONTICELLO, and through NIT of UNITED. Cataloged as Wexler Variety ID 1947-S WDDR-003, this San Francisco Mint nickel was struck in standard copper-nickel alloy (the wartime silver composition having ended in 1945), and its post-war production context places it in the transitional period when the Mint returned to peacetime operations and normal alloy specifications. The tripling on UNUM makes this variety particularly rewarding to examine under magnification.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar
• Wexler Variety ID: 1947-S WDDR-003
• Expert attribution by Brian Ribar

External References