1932-S Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

A close spread toward the center on QUARTER DOLLAR, USA, and the ends of the branches defines this first documented doubled die reverse for the key-date 1932-S Washington Quarter. Attributed by the Wexler Team and cross-referenced as CONECA 1-R-II and Wexler Variety ID 1932-S 25c WDDR-001, this variety carries added significance because the 1932-S is one of the two great rarities of the Washington Quarter series alongside the 1932-D, with a mintage of only 408,000 pieces. Center-directed spread results from hub compression during die manufacture, pushing design elements slightly inward. An obverse die marker — a die scratch running west-northwest to east-southeast just above the bottom loop of the 3 in the date — provides secondary attribution, while the reverse shows no significant markers. The 1932 Washington Quarter was the inaugural year of John Flanagan's design, commissioned to honor the bicentennial of George Washington's birth. San Francisco produced fewer than half a million pieces, creating a scarcity that makes any attributable variety on a 1932-S inherently significant. The CONECA Class II (1-R-II) designation confirms the doubling mechanism as distorted hub doubling. Finding a doubled die variety on a coin with a mintage under 500,000 pieces makes WDDR-001 a particularly noteworthy attribution in the Washington Quarter series.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Whaden Curtis Cross References: CONECA: 1-R-II
• CONECA: 1-R-II; Wexler Variety ID: 1932-S 25¢ WDDR-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References