2020 Doubled Working Hub Reverse WWHR-001

Description

A fascinating diagnostic puzzle, the 2020 Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Park Quarter WWHR-001 appears as an extra branch between the two bottom branches on the right side of the tree — but unlike conventional doubled dies where displaced design elements are raised, this mark is incuse (sunken into the surface). Submitted by Jeff Stanley and cataloged by the Wexler Team as WWHR-001, investigation revealed the anomaly originated from a clogged master die: missing detail on the lower branch was a known production issue, and when debris from this clogged area dislodged during working hub creation, it pressed into the hub surface, leaving a branch-shaped impression transferred to every working die produced from that hub. This hub-level origin means the mark appears across multiple die pairs, and slight variance between specimens may reflect hub wear or the possibility that multiple working hubs were created from the same clogged master die. The working hub was also used to create dies for the West Point Mint. Notably, five previously listed doubled die varieties — WDDR-003, WDDR-004, WDDR-005, WDDR-006, and WDDR-007 — have all been reclassified as manifestations of WWHR-001, consolidating what appeared to be five separate varieties into a single hub-level explanation. Struck on copper-nickel clad at 24.3mm as part of the America the Beautiful series.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Kenny McClure and George W. Powell, Jr. Cross References: None known Comments: This appears much like true doubled dies known for this design except that this mark is incuse while true doubling is raised. The current belief is that this was caused by a clogged master die as missing detail on the lower branch is a common issue on these coins. While creating a working hub using this master die, some of this debris became dislodged and was pressed into the working hub, leaving this branch-shaped mark on the hub. Slight variance in the appearance of this mark may be due to wear on the hub or the dies created from it, though it is also possible that multiple working hubs created from the clogged master die were hubbed in this debris. This working hub, or at the least one also hubbed in the same debris, was also used to create working dies for the West Point mint. The following previously listed varieties have all been determined to be from WWHR-001: WDDR-003, WDDR-004, WDDR-005, WDDR-006, and WDDR-007.
• None known Comments: This appears much like true doubled dies known for this design except that this mark is incuse while true doubling is raised. The current belief is that this was caused by a clogged master die as missing detail on the lower branch is a common issue on these coins. While creating a working hub using this master die, some of this debris became dislodged and was pressed into the working hub, leaving this branch-shaped mark on the hub. Slight variance in the appearance of this mark may be due to wear on the hub or the dies created from it, though it is also possible that multiple working hubs created from the clogged master die were hubbed in this debris. This working hub, or at the least one also hubbed in the same debris, was also used to create working dies for the West Point mint. The following previously listed varieties have all been determined to be from WWHR-001: WDDR-003, WDDR-004, WDDR-005, WDDR-006, and WDDR-007.; Wexler Variety ID: 2020-P 25¢ VT WWHR-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References