1959 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-011

Description

Eleventh doubled die reverse documented for the 1959 Jefferson Nickel, this VarietyVista-cataloged variety displays medium spread on E PLURIBUS UNUM — the national motto positioned above Monticello on the reverse. Die classification identifiers UVC-985 and DMR-014 place this within VarietyVista's numbering framework, and three die stages track the variety's progressive deterioration. Stages A and B remain unconfirmed at early and mid-die-state respectively, while Stage C has been verified with both the reverse and obverse in late die state — indicating this die pair was used extensively before retirement. The 1959 date occupies a transitional moment in American coinage history: it was the year the Lincoln Cent switched from the Wheat Ears to the Memorial reverse, the most significant design change on the penny since 1909. While the Jefferson Nickel maintained its original Felix Schlag design unchanged in 1959, the broader production environment at the Mint was adjusting to new tooling for the Lincoln Cent redesign, which may have affected quality control attention across denominations. Medium spread on E PLURIBUS UNUM suggests a hub rotation or shift during die preparation that displaced these motto letters by a measurable amount, creating a doubling effect visible under moderate magnification. Eleven doubled die reverses for 1959 indicates sustained die variety research on a date that benefits from collector interest in the broader changes occurring across the U.S. coin lineup that year.

Die Markers

• UVC-985
• DMR-014
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Reverse and Obverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Larry Briggs
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References