1934 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-006

Description

Sixth in the doubled die obverse census for the 1934 Washington quarter, DDO-006 presents medium spread on LIBERTY — the obverse inscription that curves along the upper left rim of John Flanagan's Washington portrait, which debuted just two years earlier in 1932 to commemorate the bicentennial of George Washington's birth. VarietyVista assigned die identifiers UVC-015 and DMR-010, documenting three die stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B where numerous die scratches appear on the obverse at mid die state with the reverse also at MDS, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The obverse carries the additional classification ODV-002 (Medium Motto), indicating this die belongs to a specific obverse design variant characterized by the relative size and positioning of the IN GOD WE TRUST motto — the "medium" designation distinguishing it from small motto and large motto variants documented across 1934 Washington quarter dies. Philadelphia struck approximately 72.0 million quarters in 1934, a robust Depression-era mintage driven by commercial demand for the new quarter design. Medium spread on LIBERTY indicates the hub doubling produced a secondary impression displaced enough to be clearly visible under moderate magnification but not reaching the dramatic separation associated with strong spread varieties. The Stage B die scratches on the obverse provide valuable secondary diagnostics — numerous scratches developing at MDS suggest either aggressive die maintenance or accumulated surface damage that, combined with the DDO attribution, creates multiple identification checkpoints for variety collectors. The 1934 Washington quarter series is still in its infancy at this date, and early-year doubled dies carry particular interest for type collectors building comprehensive variety sets of the Washington quarter series.

Die Markers

• UVC-015
• DMR-010
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Numerous die scratches on Obverse – MDS
• Reverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lee Hiemke
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References