1960 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-015

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die markers UVC-1016 and DMR-026, this 1960 Jefferson Nickel DDR-015 displays medium spread on UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and FIVE CENTS that decreases from left to right, with light spread on MO of MONTICELLO. The left-to-right diminishing pattern indicates the hub pivot point lies toward the right side of the die, producing maximum displacement on the leftmost inscription elements and progressively less doubling moving rightward — a geometry that concentrates the most visible doubling on UNITED and dissipates it by the time it reaches AMERICA on the right. Three documented die stages provide a progression timeline: Stage A is early die state (EDS) identified by a die gouge dot in the left tall window of Monticello, with the obverse also in EDS; Stage B is mid-die-state (MDS), unconfirmed; and Stage C is late die state (LDS), also unconfirmed. The die gouge dot in the left tall window of Monticello's facade is the primary diagnostic marker for Stage A, positioned within the architectural detail of Thomas Jefferson's Virginia plantation home that serves as the coin's reverse centerpiece. Felix Schlag designed the Jefferson Nickel with the Monticello reverse, struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1960 in copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel) weighing 5.0 grams with a diameter of 21.21 mm. The three-stage documentation captures the working die's service life from its fresh early state through mid-life usage to late-state deterioration, with each stage potentially showing different secondary die characteristics that evolve as the die accumulates wear, cracks, and other progressive changes during production.

Die Markers

• UVC-1016
• DMR-026
• Stage A:
• Die gouge dot in Left tall window – EDS
• Obverse is EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References