2009 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team under the designation 2009-P 25¢ GU WDDO-002, this doubled die obverse variety for the 2009-P Guam Territory quarter exhibits slight doubling on the underside of Washington's earlobe -- a subtle but diagnostically precise location that demands careful inspection under at least 7x magnification. The obverse die carries a constellation of identifying markers: a light die crack runs through the designer's initials, a thin die scratch passes through the UA in QUARTER, many crisscrossing die scratches appear through the TE in UNITED, and a die gouge sits midway between the bust truncation and the O in DOLLAR. On the reverse, a die gouge below the left side of the M in GUAM anchors the reverse die identification. No previously known cross-references exist in other cataloging systems. The Guam quarter was one of six 2009 DC and US Territories quarters authorized by Congress to extend the State Quarters program to the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Philadelphia struck 45,000,000 Guam quarters, a fraction of the production volumes seen during the peak State Quarters years, reflecting both reduced demand during the 2009 financial crisis and the diminished public enthusiasm as the extended program wound down. The earlobe doubling location on WDDO-002 is noteworthy because it sits in a sculptural zone where William Cousins's modified Washington portrait provides relatively high relief, meaning even slight hub misalignment produces detectable displacement at this anatomical point.

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Cassin Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2009-P 25¢ GU WDDO-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References