1945 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Primary doubled die obverse for the 1945 Philadelphia Mint Washington Silver Quarter, DDO-001 carries the Cherrypickers designation FS-101 and VarietyVista codes UVC-0517 and DMR-002, marking it as a significant variety recognized across multiple major attribution references. The doubling presents strong spread on LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, the date, the designer's initials (JF for John Flanagan), and the ribbon end — an unusually comprehensive distribution of hub doubling that affects nearly every major obverse design element. Strong spread across this many features indicates a substantial hub misalignment during the die sinking process, producing doubling that is detectable without extreme magnification. Three die stages document the variety's progression: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid-die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C showing a die crack on the forehead with the reverse reaching late die state. The FS-101 designation in the Fivaz-Stanton Cherrypickers' Guide places this as the primary featured variety for the 1945-P quarter, ensuring broad collector awareness and driving active searching. As DDO-001, this holds the primary position in the doubled die obverse sequence for the date, indicating it was either the first discovered or the most significant in terms of spread strength. The 1945-P quarter was the final wartime issue before peacetime demand patterns resumed, and surviving specimens of DDO-001 in higher grades carry premiums reflecting both the variety's attribution significance and the natural attrition of silver-composition coins through melting. The combination of FS-101 listing and strong multi-element spread makes this one of the more collected Washington Quarter doubled die varieties from the silver era.

Die Markers

• UVC-0517
• DMR-002
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Die crack on forehead – LDS
• Reverse is LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Delma K. Romines
• FS-101
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References