2019 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-018

Description

Attributed by Evan Goldfarb and cataloged under Wexler Variety ID: 2019-P WDDR-018, this Class VIII Tilted Hub Doubling variety on the 2019 Philadelphia Jefferson Nickel shows a nice spread below the upper right portion of the door frame on Monticello's center door above the steps. Class VIII doubling results from the hub tilting relative to the die during the impression process, creating displacement that increases with distance from the pivot point. The Monticello reverse, originally designed by Felix Schlag in 1938 and refined in subsequent decades, features the three-arched portico of Jefferson's Virginia estate — architectural elements that provide clear reference geometry for identifying tilted hub effects. Die markers for authentication include die gouges below IC of AMERICA and a die depression in the field to the left side of the building on the reverse, while no significant obverse markers were noted. The absence of obverse die markers means attribution relies primarily on the reverse diagnostics and the doubling characteristics themselves. Eighteen documented DDRs for the 2019 Philadelphia nickel demonstrate the continued production of die varieties even with modern computer-controlled hubbing equipment, confirming that mechanical tolerances still permit measurable hub displacement during die manufacture.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Evan Goldfarb
• Wexler Variety ID: 2019-P WDDR-018
• Expert attribution by Evan Goldfarb

External References