2015 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-005

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 2015-P 25¢ NY WDDR-005, this America the Beautiful Quarter from the New York (Saratoga National Historical Park) issue displays doubling inside the lower right opening in the handle of General Burgoyne's sword — a remarkably specific diagnostic location that requires careful examination of the sword's hand guard detail. The NY state abbreviation in the catalog number confirms this is the Saratoga design, which depicts the moment of British General John Burgoyne's surrender at the 1777 Battle of Saratoga, a turning point in the American Revolution. Obverse die markers indicate late die state (LDS) with a die crack across the base of the bust and multiple die chips to the left of the designer's initials, plus a die gouge right of the top of the S in STATES. The reverse shows a die chip on the end of the sword's hilt and a die gouge southwest of the quillon (the cross-guard) of the sword — markers concentrated on the sword itself, which is both the doubling's location and the die markers' vicinity. The late die state obverse, with its crack across the bust base and multiple die chips, suggests this die pair was well into its service life when the examined specimens were struck, and the die crack would be expected to grow more prominent on even later-state specimens. No additional cross-references are known. Within the ATB Quarter program, historical scene reverses like the Saratoga design provide unique diagnostic opportunities — military equipment, uniforms, and figures create detailed design elements not found on landscape-focused designs, and sword-handle doubling represents a distinctive micro-diagnostic accessible only through detailed magnified examination of the weaponry depicted in this Revolutionary War scene.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Alfonso Lopez (Additional photos from a coin submitted by George W. Powell, Jr.) Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2015-P 25¢ NY WDDR-005
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References