1964 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-079

Description

Close Class II distorted hub doubling on E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, with both spreads increasing from left to right and showing best on UNUM and AMERICA, characterizes this seventy-ninth doubled die reverse for the 1964 Jefferson Nickel. Attributed by John A. Wexler under Wexler Variety ID 1964 WDDR-079, a die marker on the reverse consists of a small die dot below N of UNITED, while the obverse shows no noted markers. Seventy-nine doubled die reverses from a single date is a remarkable count, but the 1964 Jefferson Nickel's production circumstances explain it — facing a severe coin shortage, the Mint struck record quantities of all denominations in 1964, with Philadelphia alone producing over 1 billion nickels and extending production into 1965 while still using 1964-dated dies. This unprecedented output consumed a staggering number of die pairs, and Class II distorted hub doubling — where deformation within the hub itself creates an asymmetric spread — was one of several doubling mechanisms that affected these dies. The progressive left-to-right increase in the spread is characteristic of Class II, where the distortion radiates outward from a focal point. Felix Schlag's Monticello reverse provided detailed lettering in E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA where the increasing displacement became most visible at the rightward extremes of each inscription.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler
• Wexler Variety ID: 1964 WDDR-079
• Expert attribution by John A. Wexler

External References