1968-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-025

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die markers UVC-1771 and DMR-042, the 1968-S Jefferson Nickel DDO-025 presents light spread across five obverse elements: IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, the star, the date, and Felix Schlag's designer initials FS on the truncation of Jefferson's bust. The five-element coverage pattern, matching that seen on several other 1968-S DDOs in the catalog, indicates a hub displacement sufficient to affect all major obverse text and design elements simultaneously. Three die stages are identified: Stage A is early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B places the obverse in mid-die state with a small die gouge on the rim under the I of AMERICA on the reverse, and Stage C is late die state (unconfirmed). The rim die gouge under the I of AMERICA in Stage B provides a useful secondary attribution marker independent of the doubling itself. The 1968-S Jefferson Nickel was struck at the San Francisco Mint, which resumed business-strike nickel production that year, in standard 75% copper and 25% nickel composition weighing 5.0 grams at 21.2 mm diameter. The 25th cataloged doubled die obverse for the 1968-S date demonstrates the prolific die variety landscape for this issue — a consequence of both the large number of working dies employed and the active variety-hunting community that scrutinized San Francisco's output during this period. The FS initials remain the most diagnostically sensitive checkpoint for confirming light-intensity hub doubling on Jefferson Nickel obverses.

Die Markers

• UVC-1771
• DMR-042
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse is MDS
• Small die gouge on rim under I of AMERICA – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References