1944 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-036

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die markers UVC-0492 and DMR-046, this 1944 Washington Silver Quarter DDO-036 displays light spread on RTY of LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, the date, and the ribbon end — affecting inscription elements, the motto, the date, and a design device, indicating a hub displacement that produced detectable doubling across a wide swath of the obverse die face. Three die stages are documented: Stage A in early die state (EDS), unconfirmed; Stage B in mid-die-state (MDS), also unconfirmed; and Stage C at late die state where a die crack crosses the upper hair, another die crack runs across the bust into the field between the 19 of the date, and the reverse reaches LDS. The Stage C die crack crossing the bust and terminating between the 19 of the date creates a precise attribution marker, as die crack paths are unique to individual dies and cannot be duplicated on other working dies. John Flanagan designed the Washington Quarter obverse after Houdon's bust of Washington, paired with the heraldic eagle reverse. The 1944 Philadelphia Mint Washington Quarter was struck in 90% silver composition (90% silver, 10% copper) weighing 6.25 grams with a diameter of 24.3 mm during World War II. The 36th cataloged doubled die obverse for the 1944 date illustrates the extensive variety population generated during wartime production when the Philadelphia Mint operated at high capacity, creating a large working die population in which hub alignment anomalies during the die manufacturing process could produce numerous distinct doubled die varieties. The light spread classification indicates the doubling requires deliberate examination under magnification to detect, distinguishing it from the more dramatic doubled die varieties where separation is visible to the unaided eye.

Die Markers

• UVC-0492
• DMR-046
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Die crack across upper hair – LDS
• Die crack across bust into fined between 19 of date
• Reverse is LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by ZAP's coins
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References