1976-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Assigned the primary Wexler obverse doubled die designation for the 1976-D Bicentennial quarter, this WDDO-001 manifests very close Class II doubling on the dual dates 1776-1976 and LIBERTY — the defining inscription elements of Jack L. Ahr's Bicentennial quarter design that replaced the standard reverse with a Colonial drummer. The obverse retains John Flanagan's Washington portrait with the modified dual date, and the Class II distorted hub mechanism indicates the hub itself had developed irregular characteristics that imparted systematic displacement to every die it impressed. Denver produced enormous quantities of Bicentennial quarters during the 1975-1976 production period, with total copper-nickel clad output reaching approximately 860.1 million pieces — a volume that consumed hundreds of working die pairs and created statistical opportunities for hub doubling events to enter production. The die-specific diagnostics include a die scratch through the lower portion of the E in LIBERTY on the obverse and a die scratch through the O in OF on the reverse, providing authentication markers on both coin faces that function independently of the doubling detection. Very close doubling on the dates and LIBERTY means the secondary impression sits fractionally displaced from the primary, requiring careful comparison against confirmed normal specimens to establish that the thickened letterforms exceed what standard striking produces. The Bicentennial quarter's dual date 1776-1976 offers eight digits for examination — twice the diagnostic surface area of a standard four-digit date — and the hyphen between the two year groupings provides an additional reference point for detecting displacement. No cross-references from CONECA or other attribution services are currently known, making Wexler Variety ID 1976-D $1 WDDO-001 the sole formal catalog entry, though the quarter denomination context confirms this pertains to the quarter rather than the dollar despite the cross-reference notation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Not noted Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1976-D $1 WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References