2015 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-049

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista as DDR-049 with die marker code UVC-2150 and die marker reverse DMR-050, this doubled die reverse variety was struck on a 2015 America the Beautiful quarter. The America the Beautiful program issued quarters honoring national sites from 2010 through 2021, each struck in copper-nickel clad composition weighing 5.67 grams with a 24.3 mm diameter and a reeded edge. The primary doubling on DDR-049 manifests as a light spread toward the South in window R2, indicating a southward displacement of the hub during the die-making process that is most readily detected at the second right-side window of the architectural element featured on the reverse. The high sequential number of this variety, DDR-049, reflects the substantial number of doubled die reverses cataloged for the 2015 America the Beautiful issues, a year that saw five different reverse designs each produced at multiple mint facilities. Three die stages have been documented for this variety. Stage A is early die state, unconfirmed. Stage B provides the strongest diagnostic markers, showing a depression along the upper left roof and a depression along the middle right roof, with the obverse in early-to-mid die state. Stage C represents late die state, also unconfirmed. The depressions along the roof lines are particularly useful secondary markers because they develop as the die surface begins to sink under the repeated stress of striking, and their presence helps confirm that a specimen was struck during the mid-production window when the die had accumulated enough wear to show these features but had not yet reached the point of retirement. The distinction between the depressions in DDR-049 and the die chips noted in DDR-011 illustrates how different forms of die deterioration can develop on related varieties from the same year.

Die Markers

• UVC-2150
• DMR-050
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Depression along upper Left roof – EMDS
• Depression along middle Right roof
• Obverse is EMDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Alfonso Lopez
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References