1959 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Anchoring the doubled die obverse catalog for a numismatically significant year, DDO-001 on the 1959 Philadelphia Jefferson Nickel displays medium extra thickness on IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, the five-pointed star, and the date. Die markers UVC-974 and DMR-003 identify this working die. The year 1959 marks a watershed in American coinage — it was the debut year of Frank Gasparro's Lincoln Memorial reverse on the one-cent denomination, replacing Victor David Brenner's wheat ears after fifty years and forever changing the look of the most widely circulated U.S. coin. While the Jefferson Nickel itself saw no design change, the cultural numismatic significance of 1959 elevates collector interest across all denominations from that year. Medium extra thickness across all four obverse elements indicates a near-coincident hub re-impression that broadened every affected feature detectably at moderate magnification, with the vertical strokes of LIBERTY and the angular points of the star providing the most sensitive diagnostic surfaces. Struck in standard copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel) at the Philadelphia Mint without a mintmark, the 1959 nickel was part of a robust production year. As DDO-001, this variety represents the primary or most prominent doubled die obverse documented for the date, establishing the benchmark against which any subsequently discovered 1959 DDOs are measured.

Die Markers

• UVC-974; DMR-003

External References