1939-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

DDO-002 on the 1939-S Washington Quarter was struck in 90% silver at the San Francisco Mint and is catalogued by VarietyVista under die pair UVC-0111, DMR-003. The obverse exhibits a medium spread on the date and the ribbon, with a lighter spread on the ERTY of LIBERTY and on IN GOD WE TRUST — a graduated doubling in which the date and ribbon carry the strongest impression and the legends carry a secondary, lighter shift. Die state progression covers three stages: Stage A is Early Die State; Stage B advances to a state defined by a die crack on the forehead and hair and strong die gouges through E PLURIBUS UNUM and circling the reverse — a substantial mid-life die failure across both sides; Stage C is Late Die State. The combination of forehead cracking and circling reverse gouges in Stage B makes mid-to-late-state examples particularly distinctive. Cross-reference: VarietyVista DDO-002, UVC-0111, DMR-003.

Die Markers

• UVC-0111
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Light die crack on forehead and upper hair – MDS
• Strong die gouges through EPU and circling reverse – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Unknown
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References