2020 VDDR VDDR-015

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista as VDDR-015 (VarietyVista Doubled Die Reverse), this doubled die reverse variety appears on a 2020 Jefferson nickel from the Return to Monticello series. The Jefferson nickel in its current iteration features Jamie Franki's forward-facing portrait of Jefferson on the obverse and Felix Schlag's classic Monticello reverse design, composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, weighing 5.0 grams with a 21.2 mm diameter. The doubling on VDDR-015 is described as a medium spread east that creates an extra left vertical bar of the doorway on Monticello, a visually distinctive diagnostic where the hub displacement produces a secondary door frame element alongside the original. Three die stages have been documented, though the UVC code remains unassigned (indicated as UVC-????): Stage A in early die state is unconfirmed; Stage B shows both reverse and obverse at mid-die state; Stage C exhibits a die depression in the field west of the building indicating late die state, with the obverse also in late die state. The development of a die depression west of the Monticello building at Stage C is consistent with progressive die fatigue, where the die material begins to sink or deform in areas subjected to sustained striking pressure. This same type of field depression has been observed on other Jefferson nickel reverse dies in late die state and serves as a useful secondary diagnostic for establishing the relative position of a specimen within the die's working life. The 2020 date represents one of the more recent years in the Return to Monticello series for which doubled die varieties have been systematically documented, and VDDR-015 demonstrates that the modern single-squeeze hubbing process continues to produce detectable hub doubling events. The doorway area of Monticello has proven to be one of the most productive locations for detecting doubled die varieties on the Schlag reverse design across all eras of Jefferson nickel production.

Die Markers

• UVC-????
• DMR-00?
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse and
• Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Die depression in field West of the building –
• LDS
• Obverse is LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Robert Umbarger
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References