1968-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-026

Description

Twenty-sixth obverse doubled die in the census for the 1968-S Jefferson nickel, DDO-026 shows medium spread across IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY, the five-pointed star, date, and Felix Schlag's designer initials FS — an unusually comprehensive range of affected elements that spans virtually every obverse inscription and device. VarietyVista cataloged this die under UVC-1772 and DMR-043, documenting three die stages: Stage A with obverse and reverse at early die state, Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The comment notation "Generic Listing. No identifiable markers" indicates that while the doubled die characteristics are documented, no unique die scratches, gouges, or other secondary diagnostics have been identified to fingerprint this specific working die beyond the doubling itself. This absence of secondary markers presents an attribution challenge, as collectors must rely solely on the doubling pattern to distinguish DDO-026 from the other twenty-five-plus obverse doubled dies cataloged for the 1968-S nickel. San Francisco struck approximately 100.4 million nickels in 1968, the first year S-mint nickels returned to circulation-strike production after San Francisco's proof-only production period. The breadth of medium spread — touching motto, liberty inscription, star, date, and initials — suggests a broad angular hub displacement rather than a localized distortion, as the affected elements are distributed across nearly the entire obverse field. The deep DDO census for this date (at least 26 varieties) reflects intensive systematic examination of the 1968-S nickel by variety researchers, and collectors pursuing DDO-026 should prepare detailed photographic comparisons against neighboring census entries to confirm the specific spread pattern matches published references.

Die Markers

• UVC-1772
• DMR-043
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References