1956 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-030

Description

Attributed by Gary G. Wagnon and cataloged under Wexler Variety ID: 1956 WDDR-030, this Class II (Distorted Hub Doubling) variety shows close doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM and OF AMERICA on the reverse of the 1956 Philadelphia Jefferson Nickel. Class II doubling results from the hub being impressed into the die at a slightly different angle between passes, distorting rather than shifting the design — this produces a characteristic spreading effect that differs from the parallel separation seen in Class I (rotated) varieties. Die markers include a die crack in Jefferson's hair at the top of his head on the obverse, and on the reverse a slanted die gouge between the first O and N of MONTICELLO along with a die gouge to the upper left of the C of MONTICELLO. The 1956 Jefferson Nickel was produced during a period of relatively modest nickel mintage compared to later decades, with Philadelphia striking approximately 35.2 million pieces — a figure that kept die consumption manageable but still generated enough working dies for multiple doubled die varieties to emerge. Felix Schlag's original 1938 design was in its eighteenth year of production by 1956, and the series had already accumulated a substantial inventory of documented Class II varieties from the proof and business strike dies of the 1950s.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Gary G. Wagnon
• Wexler Variety ID: 1956 WDDR-030
• Expert attribution by Gary G. Wagnon

External References