1999-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 1999-S 25-cent Proof New Jersey WDDO-001, this State Quarter doubled die obverse is a proof issue from the inaugural year of the 50 State Quarters program (1999-2008). The WDDO-001 designation marks it as the first cataloged obverse doubled die for the 1999-S New Jersey proof quarter, and no other cross-references are known for this variety. The State Quarters program, authorized by the 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act of 1997, produced unique reverse designs for each state in the order they ratified the Constitution, with New Jersey featured as one of the first five states honored in 1999. The obverse retains the standard Washington Quarter portrait designed by John Flanagan, modified by William Cousins with the addition of mint marks and the relocation of the date and inscriptions. Proof State Quarters were struck at the San Francisco Mint on specially prepared planchets using polished dies, producing mirror-like fields and frosted design elements — the controlled striking conditions of proof production can make doubled die features more sharply defined than on business strikes. The coin was struck in copper-nickel clad composition (outer layers of 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded to a pure copper core), weighing 5.67 grams at 24.3 mm diameter with a reeded edge. The 1999-S proof State Quarter sets were eagerly collected during the program's launch year, when public enthusiasm for the new rotating designs reached extraordinary levels. As the primary doubled die obverse for this date-mint-state combination, WDDO-001 offers collectors a die variety that combines the appeal of the State Quarters program with proof surface quality and the collecting interest of a hub doubling anomaly.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Steven Bernatowicz Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1999-S 25¢ Pr NJ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References