2015 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-008

Description

Eighth in the Wexler Team's DDR sequence for the 2015-P Saratoga National Historical Park Quarter, WDDR-008 (cross-referenced as 2015-P 25-cent NY WDDR-008) adds to the substantial cluster of doubled die varieties cataloged on this particular ATB design. Saratoga's reverse, depicting the surrender monument at the site of the 1777 battle where British General John Burgoyne surrendered to American forces under General Horatio Gates, features detailed sculptural and architectural elements — the monument's column, surrounding vegetation, and inscriptions — that provide numerous design zones where hub-doubling evidence can appear. The accumulation of at least eight DDR varieties on this single design and mint attests to the demanding die production schedule of the ATB program, where the Philadelphia Mint needed to prepare a large stock of reverse working dies for each of the year's five designs, creating proportionally more opportunities for hub misalignment to occur during the multi-step die-sinking process. No additional cross-references beyond the Wexler listing have been established, which is typical for ATB varieties where the volume of discoveries has exceeded the capacity of secondary attribution services to independently catalog every entry. Struck in copper-nickel clad at 5.67 grams across a 24.26mm diameter, the 2015-P Saratoga Quarter was distributed through standard Federal Reserve channels as well as through numismatic products including uncirculated mint sets and quarter bags/rolls sold directly by the U.S. Mint. Collectors who received quantities of 2015-P quarters from Fed-wrapped rolls had direct access to the production output from which varieties like this WDDR-008 could be cherry-picked, though the low survival rate of attributable specimens among billions of struck coins makes each confirmed example a valuable addition to the ATB variety census.

Attribution History

• Discovered by George W. Powell, Jr. Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2015-P 25¢ NY WDDR-008
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References