1965 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Exhibiting a dual-intensity doubling pattern across three obverse features, DDO-004 on the 1965 Washington Quarter shows medium spread on LIBERTY with lighter spread on the date and the ribbon tying Washington's hair queue. Sam Gelberd reported this variety, and the reverse has been identified as die variety RDV-005, providing a complete die-pairing reference. The ribbon — a small, finely engraved element at the back of Washington's ponytail — is an uncommon pickup point for Washington Quarter DDOs, and its involvement here indicates the hub displacement direction aligned favorably with this detailed feature. The 1965 quarter marks a historic transition in American coinage: it was the first year of copper-nickel clad composition, replacing the 90% silver standard that had prevailed since 1932. Notably, no mintmarks appear on coins dated 1965 through 1967, a deliberate Treasury decision to discourage hoarding by date and mint. The graduated intensity — medium on LIBERTY, lighter on the date and ribbon — suggests a displacement vector strongest in the region of LIBERTY and diminishing toward the date and hair queue. John Flanagan's obverse design places these elements at varying distances from the die center, and the intensity variation may reflect a slight rotational component in the hub misalignment.

External References