2005 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-060

Description

Attributed by Kenneth Russell as 2005 P WDDR-060 Business Strike Ocean in View and cross-referenced as CDDR-037 and CONECA DDR-045, this Jefferson Nickel from the 2005 Westward Journey series "Ocean in View" design presents a doubled die reverse variety with die markers serving as the primary identification criteria. Obverse die markers include two short die gouges at the rim below the designer's initials DE (for Don Everhart), while the reverse carries a constellation of diagnostic features: a die gouge between the U and R of PLURIBUS, a short slanted die scratch below the L of PLURIBUS, a slanted die scratch extending from the bottom left side of the N of UNUM, and a short slanted die scratch inside the upper portion of the F of OF. The "Ocean in View" reverse design depicts the view Captain William Clark described in his journal when the Lewis and Clark expedition first sighted the Pacific Ocean in November 1805, featuring a dramatic coastline vista with Clark's journal entry inscription. The Westward Journey Nickel Series (2004-2005) commemorated the Lewis and Clark expedition and the Louisiana Purchase through four unique designs over two years, temporarily replacing Schlag's traditional Monticello reverse. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint as a business strike in standard copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel) weighing 5.00 grams with a 21.21 mm diameter, this variety is distinguished from proof strikes by its standard satin-finish surfaces rather than mirrored fields. The triple cross-referencing across CDDR, CONECA, and Wexler catalogs provides robust attribution support, and the multiple reverse die gouges concentrated around the PLURIBUS UNUM inscription create a diagnostic cluster that allows confident identification when examining the specific letter positions under 10x magnification.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Kenneth Russell
• CDDR-037/CONECA DDR-045; Wexler Variety ID: 2005 P WDDR-060 Business Strike Ocean in View
• Expert attribution by Kenneth Russell

External References