1957 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-011

Description

Eleventh in the reverse doubled die census for the 1957 Washington silver quarter, DDR-011 presents light spread on UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the eagle's head on John Flanagan's heraldic eagle reverse. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-0904 and DMR-018, documenting three die stages: Stage A at EDS (unconfirmed), Stage B where the reverse has reached mid die state with a notable die crack developing on the forehead and hair of Washington's obverse portrait also at MDS, and Stage C at LDS (unconfirmed). The obverse die crack at Stage B provides a valuable secondary diagnostic that helps collectors determine the approximate die state of their specimen — the presence and extent of the forehead crack correlates with progressive die deterioration. The comments identify this as Reverse Design Variant RDV-001, anchoring the die within its master die lineage. Philadelphia struck approximately 46.53 million silver quarters in 1957, one of the final high-mintage silver quarter dates before the transition to copper-nickel clad composition in 1965. The Washington quarter's 90% silver composition during this period meant the coins had intrinsic metal value that has helped preserve many specimens from heavy circulation wear, improving the chances of detecting variety diagnostics on surviving examples. Light spread on UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the eagle's head indicates a modest hub displacement affecting the upper reverse design elements, where the fine feather detail of the eagle's head provides particularly sensitive surfaces for revealing even subtle doubling. Collectors should examine these areas under 15-20x magnification, also checking for the forehead die crack to assess die state progression.

Die Markers

• UVC-0904
• DMR-018
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse is MDS
• Die crack on forehead and hair – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lee Hiemke
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References