2005 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-023

Description

Identified by Brian Ribar with multiple cross-references — CDDR-029 and CONECA DDR-037 alongside the Wexler designation 2005 P WDDR-023 Business Strike Ocean in View — this Jefferson Nickel variety carries one of the richest attribution networks of any DDR in the 2005 Westward Journey series. The die markers are notably concentrated on the obverse: a die crack runs between Jefferson's eyebrows, another near the top of his left eye, and a third traverses the lower nose and upper lip area, collectively suggesting the obverse die has developed stress fractures through the portrait's most delicate facial features. Reverse markers include die chips in the designer's initials and die chips above both the F and V of FIVE. Joe Fitzgerald's "Ocean in View" design, depicting the Pacific coastline that Lewis and Clark first sighted in November 1805, was the second and final 2005 reverse in the Westward Journey program. The concentration of facial die cracks on the obverse provides an unusually vivid die-state narrative — cracks through the eyebrow, eye, and nose-lip junction trace the propagation path of fatigue through the portrait zone, indicating this die had accumulated considerable stress before the specimens bearing these markers were struck. The triple cross-referencing across Crawford (CDDR-029), CONECA (DDR-037), and Wexler (WDDR-023) systems confirms broad recognition of this variety among the major cataloging organizations, each independently documenting the same working die under their respective numbering schemes. Philadelphia business strike production of the Ocean in View nickel generated enough die usage to support at least 23 Wexler-numbered DDR varieties within this single reverse design iteration.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar
• CDDR-029/CONECA DDR-037; Wexler Variety ID: 2005 P WDDR-023 Business Strike Ocean in View
• Expert attribution by Brian Ribar

External References