2017 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-011

Description

Attributed by Jeff Stanley under the Wexler designation 2017-P WDDR-011, this Jefferson Nickel from the Return to Monticello design series (2006 to date) exhibits Class VIII (Tilted Hub Doubling) visible below the upper left portion of the door frame on the center door above the steps, with additional doubling showing between the right edge of the third column and the left side of the door frame. Tilted Hub Doubling occurs when the working hub contacts the working die at a slight angle rather than perfectly parallel, producing displacement that varies across the die face based on each element's distance from and orientation relative to the tilt axis. Reverse die markers include a die chip between the right edge of the building and the letter F of the designer's initials FS, a pre-die crack depression in the field to the left of the building's edge, and a die chip on the upper portion of the E of FIVE. No obverse markers are noted. The pre-die crack depression — a subtle linear indentation that precedes the formation of an actual crack — documents the early stage of structural failure in the die steel before a visible fracture develops, a feature that can evolve into a full die crack in later die states. The Jefferson Nickel's Return to Monticello reverse, redesigned by Felix Schlag with modifications in 2006, was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in copper-nickel composition (75% copper, 25% nickel) weighing 5.00 grams with a 21.21 mm diameter. Monticello's architectural detail — its columns, doorways, steps, and roofline — provides multiple reference surfaces where hub tilt displacement can manifest as visible doubling, making the building's geometric elements particularly informative for studying the direction and magnitude of the tilt vector on this die.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jeff Stanley
• Wexler Variety ID: 2017-P WDDR-011
• Expert attribution by Jeff Stanley

External References