1999 (S) Proof New Jersey State Quarter - 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 an 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 when the date moved to the reverse and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and QUARTER DOLLAR moved to the obverse. 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 24.26 mm diameter with a reeded edge. The 1999-S proof State Quarter sets were eagerly collected during the program's launch year. 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.

Cross References

• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1999-S 25¢ Pr NJ WDDO-001

External References