1944-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-007

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die markers UVC-0427 and DMR-008, DDO-007 on the 1944-D Washington Silver Quarter exhibits a medium spread on BERTY of LIBERTY — the final four letters of the motto inscription, where the secondary hub impression created visible displacement on the serif letterforms. Three die stages have been identified: Stage A in early die state remains unconfirmed, Stage B in mid die state is also unconfirmed, and Stage C shows a die crack across the base of the bust and a die chip on the bust above the first 4 of the date in late die state, with the reverse also in late die state. The die chip above the first 4 provides a particularly distinctive attribution marker that localizes this working die within the 1944-D production run. The 1944-D Washington Quarter was struck at the Denver Mint in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 6.25 grams with a diameter of 24.26 mm. Denver produced approximately 14.6 million quarters in 1944, as wartime economic activity drove elevated demand for circulating coinage across all denominations. John Flanagan's Washington portrait, based on the Houdon bust, renders LIBERTY in precisely spaced serif letters along the left rim, where the BERTY segment spans the area from approximately 8:00 to 10:00 on the coin's circumference. The selective doubling on only the terminal four letters of LIBERTY, rather than the full inscription, suggests the hub displacement vector was oriented to produce maximum visible offset in the left-center quadrant of the obverse die. The Stage C die crack and chip document this die's terminal deterioration phase, and specimens showing these late die state features combined with the DDO-007 doubling represent the most attribution-rich examples.

Die Markers

• UVC-0427
• DMR-008
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Die crack across base of bust – LDS
• Die chip on bust above the first 4 of date
• Reverse is LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lee Hiemke
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References