1957 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Uniquely distinguished by evidence of triple hubbing, DDO-001 on the 1957 Philadelphia Jefferson Nickel presents light spread on LIBERTY, the five-pointed star, and the date, with the star showing three distinct hub impressions — an exceptionally rare tripled die characteristic. Die markers UVC-949 and DMR-003 confirm this working die. While double hubbing (two impressions) accounts for the vast majority of cataloged hub doubling varieties, triple hubbing indicates the working hub was pressed into the working die three times with slightly different alignments, producing three overlapping images. On the star, this triple impression creates a more complex visual pattern than standard doubling: rather than a single secondary image offset from the primary, two secondary images appear at different offsets, creating a stacked or fanned effect on the star's five geometric points. Light spread on LIBERTY and the date accompanies the triple star, and these two elements likely show primarily the strongest of the three hub impressions as a conventional doubled appearance. As DDO-001, this variety holds the primary obverse catalog position for the 1957 date. The 1957 nickel was struck in standard copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel) at the Philadelphia Mint. Collectors should examine the star under 7x to 10x magnification, looking for two sets of secondary points rather than the single offset typical of doubled dies.

Die Markers

• UVC-949; DMR-003

External References