1942-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-001

Description

Light spread on UNITED STATES OF AMERICA identifies this 1942 San Francisco Washington Quarter doubled die reverse, the primary DDR cataloged for the date. Documented by VarietyVista as UVC-0276 with die marriage DMR-004, the variety's die state progression reveals important diagnostic information: early and mid die states remain unconfirmed, while Stage C at late die state shows a die gouge developing between the upper portions of ES in STATES, with the obverse at mid die state. This progressive die gouge appearing only in late die state suggests it developed through accumulated die wear during extended production. The reverse carries mintmark size variety MMS-003, the Large Mintmark variant, adding a second collectible attribute. The 1942-S Washington Quarter was struck during America's first full year of World War II involvement, when wartime production demands strained Mint resources across all facilities. John Flanagan's Washington design, based on Houdon's famous bust, was in its eleventh year on 90% silver at 24.3mm. The combination of doubled die reverse and large mintmark variety makes this a dual-interest coin for Washington Quarter specialists. Examine UNITED STATES OF AMERICA for the light spread, and check between ES of STATES on late die state specimens for the progressive die gouge.

Die Markers

• UVC-0276
• DMR-004
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Die gouge between upper ES of STATES – LDS
• Obverse is MDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lee Hiemke
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References