1945-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Northward spread on IN GOD WE TRUST and the bottom of the nose characterizes this 1945 San Francisco Mint Washington Silver Quarter, the primary doubled die obverse for this date and mint. Attributed by the Wexler Team under Wexler Variety ID 1945-S 25c WDDO-001 with no known cross-references, the northward displacement direction means the secondary hub impression was shifted upward relative to the first, pushing affected design elements toward the rim. The obverse die markers include a die crack running east across the upper forehead into the hair and another crack across the base of the bust — both indicators of a die in at least mid to late die state. The reverse carries its own die cracks: one running down the eagle's right wing and another from the S in PLURIBUS to the upper left wing. The 1945-S quarter was struck at San Francisco during the final year of World War II, part of the wartime production that maintained the traditional 90% silver composition for quarter dollars even as cents and nickels underwent emergency composition changes. San Francisco produced approximately 17.0 million quarters in 1945. As the first documented doubled die obverse for the 1945-S date, WDDO-001 establishes the primary catalog entry for this variety, and the combination of motto doubling with nose displacement provides two independent diagnostic zones — the inscription and the portrait — for attribution confirmation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Frank Baumann Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1945-S 25¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References