1983-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

Revealing a characteristic Class V pivoted hub doubling pattern, DDO-002 on the 1983-S Proof Washington Quarter shows medium spread on LIBERTY that decreases in intensity from left to right across the inscription. Timothy Wissert reported this variety, which demonstrates a hallmark of rotational hub misalignment: because the pivot point lies at some distance from the affected text, the angular displacement produces greater offset at letters farther from the axis of rotation and diminishing offset at letters closer to it. On LIBERTY, the L shows the strongest doubling while the Y shows the least — a gradient effect diagnostic of Class V mechanics. As a proof coin struck at the San Francisco Mint, this quarter was produced on specially polished planchets with mirror-finish dies, and the pristine proof surfaces make the graduating spread particularly visible under magnification. The 1983-S proof quarter was struck in copper-nickel clad composition (the standard post-1964 format) and available exclusively through proof sets. John Flanagan's obverse places LIBERTY in an arc above Washington's portrait, and the left-to-right diminishment across this arc provides a textbook illustration of pivoted doubling mechanics for educational reference.

External References