1957 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-008

Description

Proof production at the Philadelphia Mint generated the 1957 Washington Silver Quarter DDR-008, tracked by VarietyVista under UVC-0901 with DMR-015. This variety shows a light spread on both stems of the eagle's olive and arrow bundle and the lower letters of "UNITED" — a subtle doubling pattern that affects the heraldic eagle reverse designed by John Flanagan in 1932. Stage A in Early Die State introduces two valuable die markers: a die gouge running North-South through the left stem branch and another die gouge directed northeast through the upper portion of the O in "DOLLAR," with the obverse also in EDS. These die gouges provide fingerprint-level attribution specificity, allowing confident identification even when the light doubling is ambiguous. Stages B (MDS) and C (LDS) are both unconfirmed. The "Proof" designation in the comments confirms this variety originated from proof dies — coins struck with extra care on polished planchets using specially prepared dies for collector sale. Philadelphia struck 1,247,952 proof sets in 1957, establishing the maximum possible population for this variety. Eight doubled die reverses documented for the 1957 proof Washington Quarter reflects the depth of study these silver-era proofs have received from variety researchers. Proof coins' mirror-like fields provide an ideal backdrop for detecting subtle doubling, as even light spread creates visible disruption against the otherwise pristine reflective surface. The 1957 quarter sits firmly in the classic silver proof era, seven years before the transition to clad composition that would fundamentally alter the character of proof coinage.

Die Markers

• UVC-0901
• DMR-015
• Stage A:
• Die gouge North-South through Left stem branch – EDS
• Die gouge Northeast through upper O of DOLLAR
• Obverse is EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lee Hiemke
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References