1947-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

Confined to LIBERTY alone, the light spread on this 1947-D Washington silver quarter DDO-002 represents a subtle but cataloged hub doubling event documented by VarietyVista under UVC-0647 with die markers DMR-003. Three die stages map the progression of this obverse die through its working life. Stage A at early die state remains unconfirmed. Stage B captures both the obverse and reverse at mid-die-state, the standard working condition where most surviving examples are typically found. Stage C brings the defining late-stage marker: a die crack running across Washington's forehead and hair, with the reverse also at late die state. This forehead crack is critical for die-stage attribution because it provides a binary diagnostic -- specimens without the crack date to Stages A or B, while those showing it are definitively Stage C. The 1947-D quarter was struck at Denver with a mintage of 15.3 million pieces, a relatively modest production compared to Philadelphia's 22.6 million that year. DDO-002 designation places this as the second doubled die obverse attributed for the Denver issue, after a presumably more prominent DDO-001. The postwar years of 1946-1948 saw the Washington quarter series settle into a mature production routine, with die preparation techniques that remained consistent with prewar practice. Collectors seeking this variety should concentrate their examination on the individual letters of LIBERTY under at least 10x magnification, looking for slight widening or shelf-like extensions on the letter strokes that distinguish genuine hub doubling from the flat, shelf-free appearance of strike doubling. The light nature of the spread means specimens in higher grades will show the doubling more clearly, as wear progressively erodes subtle variety diagnostics.

Die Markers

• UVC-0647
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Die crack across forehead and hair – LDS
• Reverse is LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lee Hiemke
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References