2005-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-009

Description

Light southward spread on the third lowest left branch of the right tree identifies this ninth doubled die reverse for the 2005-S Jefferson Nickel Westward Journey series issue. The Westward Journey program in 2004-2005 introduced temporary new designs celebrating the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the 2005 reverse by Jamie Franki featured an American bison — the "Ocean in View" reverse — with trees flanking the design providing areas where hub doubling could manifest. VarietyVista cataloged this variety with die markers UVC-1652 and DMR-010, documenting three die stages: Stage A with reverse and obverse in early die state, Stage B at mid-die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The San Francisco Mint struck proof versions of the Westward Journey nickels for collectors, and the S mintmark confirms this as a proof issue. Doubled die reverses form when successive hub impressions during die manufacture fail to align precisely, leaving overlapping design elements in the finished die. The tree detail on the bison reverse provided fine branches where even light hub displacement became visible under magnification, making this design particularly productive for doubled die discoveries.

Die Markers

• UVC-1652
• DMR-010
• Stage A:
• Reverse and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References