1945 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-008

Description

Occupying the eighth slot in the Wexler obverse doubled die census for the 1945 Washington quarter, WDDO-008 reveals an eastward spread on the IN GOD WE TRUST motto and the digits 194 of the date — leaving the final 5 unaffected, which narrows the doubling zone to the left-of-center portion of the date arc on John Flanagan's obverse design. The Washington quarter series, in continuous production since 1932, places the IGWT motto in a recessed band above Washington's head where hub misalignment during die manufacture can produce detectable doubling on the incuse letterforms. Philadelphia struck approximately 74.37 million silver quarters in 1945, the final year of World War II, when wartime industrial demand coexisted with rising civilian coinage needs. The eastward spread direction indicates the secondary hub impression landed to the right of the primary, displacing the affected inscription and date elements in that direction. Obverse die markers recorded by the Wexler Team offer no significant diagnostics beyond the doubling itself, but the reverse carries two useful secondary identifiers: a long die scratch running north-northeast from the arrow tips and a nearly horizontal die scratch running through the top of the U in UNITED. These reverse markers provide independent confirmation of the correct die pairing without relying solely on the obverse doubling assessment. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID: 1945 25¢ WDDO-008, with no additional attribution system listings currently known. Collectors examining this variety should use 10-15x magnification focused on the IGWT motto and the first three date digits, comparing the letter and numeral edges against confirmed normal specimens to detect the eastward displacement, then flip the coin to verify the reverse die scratches near the arrow tips and through the U of UNITED.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1945 25¢ WDDO-008
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References