1957 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-003

Description

Exceptionally strong for a proof doubled die, DDR-003 on the 1957 Proof Washington Quarter displays extreme extra thickness on all lettering and design elements across the entire reverse — a sweeping classification rarely applied to any variety. Delma K. Romines reported this coin, which exhibits doubling so pervasive that no reverse feature escapes its effect: QUARTER DOLLAR, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, the heraldic eagle, and both the olive and laurel branches all show pronounced thickening from a near-coincident hub impression. Struck as a 90% silver proof at the Philadelphia Mint, this coin was produced on polished planchets with specially prepared dies, and the mirror fields characteristic of proof surfaces make the extreme thickening especially conspicuous against the reflective background. The "extreme" classification places DDR-003 at the upper end of doubling intensity — beyond strong, medium, or light — indicating a hub misalignment severe enough to broaden every design element detectably. For Washington Quarter proof collectors, varieties of this magnitude are uncommon, and the all-encompassing nature of the doubling makes authentication straightforward once the coin is examined under even modest magnification.

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