1960-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Attributed by John A. Wexler and carrying the premier catalog designation WDDR-001 for the 1960-D Jefferson Nickel, this Class VI, Distended Hub Doubling variety exhibits nice doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA that increases in intensity from left to right — a spread gradient consistent with a hub expansion event whose center of distension was offset toward the left side of the die face. Obverse die markers include heavy die scratches below BER of LIBERTY, while the reverse shows two die scratches to the upper right of the second O of MONTICELLO, a die scratch above the first O of MONTICELLO, and die dots in and above the right arch of the building. The premier catalog position (WDDR-001) typically indicates either the first variety discovered for this date-mint or the most significant, and John A. Wexler's personal attribution credit underscores its importance within the Jefferson Nickel DDR canon. Class VI distended hub doubling, where the hub physically expanded during the impression process, is one of the rarer doubling classifications — far less frequently encountered than Class II distorted hub or Class V pivoted hub events. The left-to-right increasing spread across both major reverse inscriptions provides a diagnostic pattern that distinguishes WDDR-001 from other 1960-D DDR varieties: the progressive intensification means letters at the right end of each inscription (M of UNUM, A of AMERICA) show measurably more displacement than letters at the left end (E of E PLURIBUS, U of UNITED). Denver's 1960 nickel mintage of approximately 192.6 million pieces and the resulting large die population make the premier position assignment especially meaningful.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler
• Wexler Variety ID: 1960-D WDDR-001
• Expert attribution by John A. Wexler

External References