1959 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-012

Description

Attributed by Brian A. Ribar and cataloged as 1959 WDDR-012 Proof in the Wexler files, this proof Jefferson Nickel holds the prestigious "Best Of" Nickel Doubled Die Varieties designation — a distinction reserved for the most visually impressive and numismatically significant doubled die varieties within the entire Jefferson Nickel series. The reverse exhibits Class II (Distorted Hub Doubling) with a strong spread on E PLURIBUS UNUM, a strong tripled spread on AMERICA — where three distinct hub impressions created two visible secondary images flanking the primary — and a closer doubled spread on UNITED STATES OF, FIVE CENTS, the LLO of MONTICELLO, and the right side of the building. The tripled AMERICA is particularly notable because true tripling requires three separate hub-to-die contacts at three distinct alignments, a compounding of the hubbing process anomaly that substantially increases the visual impact and collector significance of the variety. No significant die markers have been reported for either obverse or reverse. The 1959 proof Jefferson Nickel was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel) weighing 5.0 grams with a diameter of 21.21 mm. Felix Schlag designed the Jefferson portrait and Monticello reverse that defined the series from 1938 through 2003. The proof format's fully struck, mirrored surfaces provide optimal viewing conditions for the strong E PLURIBUS UNUM spread and the tripled AMERICA, where the three-layer letter images create a visually distinctive stacking effect that is unmistakable under even modest magnification. The "Best Of" designation by the Wexler cataloging team signals that this variety ranks among the elite doubled die nickels for collector desirability.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian A. Ribar
• Wexler Variety ID: 1959 WDDR-012 Proof
• Expert attribution by Brian A. Ribar

External References