1960 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-007

Description

A proof-only variety, the 1960 Jefferson Nickel WDDO-007 displays a very close Class II distorted hub doubling on LIBERTY, the star, and the date on the obverse. Class II doubling, resulting from a slight rotational offset between successive hub impressions, produces centripetal displacement that is described here as "very close" — meaning the doubled impression sits extremely near the primary impression, requiring careful magnified examination to detect. The obverse die markers include die scratches on the back portion of Jefferson's collar, while the reverse carries a short die scratch to the right of the long right window of Monticello. Proof Jefferson Nickels of 1960 were struck at the Philadelphia Mint during a period of rapidly growing proof set sales, and die varieties from proof coinage often display cleaner, more sharply defined doubling than their business-strike counterparts because the multiple-strike proof process preserves fine detail. The die markers on both sides — collar scratches on the obverse and the window-adjacent scratch on the reverse — provide secondary diagnostics that confirm the specific die pair independent of the very close doubling itself.

Die Markers

• Obverse: Die scratches on back portion of Jefferson's collar.
• Reverse: Short die scratch to right of long right window.

External References