1963 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-083

Description

Attributed by Brian A. Ribar and carrying the Wexler Variety ID 1963 WDDR-083, this Class II doubled die reverse was struck on a 1963 Jefferson nickel at the Philadelphia Mint. The Jefferson nickel is composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, weighing 5.0 grams with a 21.2 mm diameter and a plain edge. The 1963 date produced enormous quantities of both business strike and proof nickels, creating one of the most extensively studied years for Jefferson nickel die varieties. This variety has a complex reassignment history: it was formerly listed as WDDR-236 and replaces the original WDDR-083 listing, which was delisted because the original was considered too minor to warrant a separate catalog entry. The current WDDR-083 exhibits close Class II (distorted hub) doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM that increases from left to right across the inscription, with closer spread also visible on AMERICA. The left-to-right increasing pattern means the doubling is weakest on the E of E PLURIBUS and strongest on the M of UNUM, a diagnostic gradient that helps distinguish this variety from others with similar but differently oriented displacement patterns. No obverse die markers have been noted. Reverse die markers include a die scratch near the rim above the letters UNU of UNUM and a die scratch between the E and first L of MONTICELLO. The relisting process — where a minor variety is delisted to make room for a more significant one transferred from a higher catalog number — reflects the ongoing curation of the Wexler files, where Brian A. Ribar and other researchers continually refine the census to maintain accurate and useful attributions. The 1963 Jefferson nickel's extraordinary depth of die variety cataloging, with hundreds of entries, makes variety number reassignment a practical necessity as new discoveries and reclassifications accumulate over decades of research.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian A. Ribar
• Wexler Variety ID: 1963 WDDR-083
• Expert attribution by Brian A. Ribar

External References