1955 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-001

Description

Holding the primary Wexler reverse doubled die designation for the 1955 Washington quarter proof, WDDR-001 exhibits strong spread toward the center affecting a comprehensive array of reverse design elements: USA, QUARTER DOLLAR, E PLURIBUS UNUM, the eagle's tail feathers, and the lower wreath on John Flanagan's heraldic eagle reverse. The breadth of affected elements — spanning inscription, denomination, motto, feather detail, and botanical components — confirms a substantial hub displacement that created visible doubling across nearly the entire reverse die face. The strong spread classification places this variety among the more dramatically doubled Washington quarter reverses, potentially detectable under lower magnification than varieties carrying close or light designations. The proof context (Wexler Variety ID: 1955 25¢ Pr WDDR-001) indicates this doubled die appeared on proof dies used at Philadelphia, where approximately 378,200 proof sets were produced in 1955 — a modest total by later standards that makes 1955 proof coins desirable baseline collectibles. No significant obverse or reverse die markers beyond the doubling were documented. The "spread towards the center" directional classification means the secondary hub impression displaced all affected elements inward, compressing them toward the coin's center, and the strong intensity ensures this displacement produces clearly thickened and displaced design elements rather than the subtle effects associated with close or light spread. The involvement of three-dimensional design features — tail feathers and wreath elements — alongside flat inscriptions provides multiple diagnostic surfaces with different visual characteristics, as feathers and leaves show the displacement through split or thickened organic contours while letters display it through displaced secondary strokes. Collectors should examine the lower reverse under 10-15x magnification, starting with QUARTER DOLLAR and the tail feathers where strong spread is most readily apparent.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Frank Baumann Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1955 25¢ Pr WDDR-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References