1939 Jefferson Nickel. FS-801. Doubled Die Reverse. MS-65 (NGC). OH.Lovely iridescent gold toning mingles with softly frosted luster on both sides of this appealing Gem Jefferson nickel. The old style NGC insert makes no mention of the Doubled Die Reverse variety. This and the next two 1939 Doubled Dies are from a group Dave Bowers acquired years ago and put away in a bank vault.This letter from Malcolm O.E. Chell-Frost was published in The Numismatist, November 1942:This is probably news to a great many collectors of nickels, but the truth is that the 1939, Jefferson nickel was re-engraved in the early part of the year. Sometime before Feb. 21, 1939, the word MONTICELLO and the words FIVE CENTS were quite weak and the Mint decided to develop a new hub to strengthen these two or three words.Before this new hub was completed the old hub was cut over through MONTICELLO and FIVE CENTS. How many were made is strictly a guess; however, to give collectors an idea of how few are to be found they may be interested in a few figures.During the past two months I have had many collectors searching for this nickel, and up to the present 12 have been found. Here is a chance to do something during the day. I would greatly appreciate fellow collectors letting me know if any more are found and the amount...In August 1984, Bernard Nagengast wrote to Dave Bowers about the 1939 Doubled Die:This variety was discovered in the early 1940s in New York City by subway token collectors, and a copy of a letter from one of them [L. Friedman] is enclosed. Incidentally, I had an opportunity to purchase a number of circulated Doubled Die reverse (Variety 1) pieces from a retired New York subway man recently. He said, Everybody was looking for them at the time-this must have been like the 1955 Doubled Die cent craze!Because the variety was discovered a few years after issue, Uncirculated specimens are quite rare. I have seen personally, or know of about 12 pieces in various Uncirculated gradations, four of which were found by a collector in an Uncirculated roll of 1939 nickels which he examined in 1980. I would estimate that fewer than 50 Uncirculated coins exist.This has always been one of Daves favorite coins. He discussed and illustrated it in the first book he ever wrote, Coins and Collectors, 1964. In the 1950s he had called on Malcolm O.E. Chell-Frost to discuss this variety and, in general, to interview him as an old timer to add to his considerable data base with legendary numismatists including B. Max Mehl, Stephen Nagy, and dozens of others. Chell-Frost related that after discovering the variety in the summer of 1939 he set about looking for them, and by 1941 had found about 20 coins. His pursuit continued. Mint State coins were viewed as being exceedingly rare, even in early times. In Daves own search for them he found this to be true. However, in the 4th edition of the Cherrypickers Guide, Bill Fivaz and J.T. Stanton commented, "several Mint State rolls have come on the market in recent years." The total number of Mint State coins in existence is not known, but Dave estimates fewer than 300. As such it is more than a dozen times rarer than a Mint State 1955 Doubled Die cent (many of which were saved in the year of issue).From the Q. David Bowers Collection.
