1955-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-011

Description

Class II Distorted Hub Doubling produces close, tight doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on this 1955 Denver Mint Jefferson Nickel reverse. Unlike the parallel displacement of Class I rotated hub doubling, Class II distortion arises from a warped or irregularly shaped hub that creates doubling varying in direction and magnitude across different areas of the die — a more complex mechanism that produces subtler, less uniform effects. Obverse die markers include die scratches in Jefferson's hair above his forehead, while the reverse shows a heavy die scratch to the right of the S in PLURIBUS and a die scratch inside the right arch of Monticello. Cross-referenced as CONECA 8-R-II and Wexler Variety ID 1955-D WDDR-011, the CONECA designation 8-R-II identifies this as the eighth reverse die of Class II doubling cataloged for the 1955-D nickel. Denver struck 74,464,100 Jefferson Nickels in 1955, a moderate mintage in the post-war era. Attributed by Whaden Curtis, whose work on Jefferson Nickel doubled dies expanded the catalog substantially, WDDR-011 demonstrates that even relatively subtle Class II distortion can be systematically identified and cataloged when die markers provide reliable secondary confirmation of the specific die involved.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Whaden Curtis
• CONECA 8-R-II; Wexler Variety ID: 1955-D WDDR-011
• Expert attribution by Whaden Curtis

External References