1937 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Fourth in the census of Philadelphia obverse doubled dies for the 1937 Mercury dime, DDO-004 shows light spread on the date. Philadelphia struck approximately 56.9 million dimes in 1937, a moderate Depression-era mintage that reflected the economy's uneven recovery. The VarietyVista cross-reference 4-O-II-C identifies this as the fourth obverse variety with Class II pivoted doubling, subtype C, and die tracking assigns UVC-288 with die marriage DMR-006. Four obverse doubled dies from a single date illustrates the depth of the Mercury dime variety census, built over decades by specialists systematically examining coins from every date and mint. The Class II-C mechanism — a slight angular rotation between the primary and secondary hub impressions — consistently produces its strongest visible effect on the date, which occupies one of the most peripheral positions on Weinman's obverse layout. DDO-004 exists alongside DDO-001 through DDO-003 and subsequent entries in the census, each distinguished by its unique combination of spread direction, magnitude, and secondary die markers derived from different working dies. Collectors attributing this variety should verify the light date spread and then consult published die marriage data (UVC-288/DMR-006) to confirm the specific die pair, as the light doubling alone may not distinguish DDO-004 from other entries without supplementary diagnostics.

Die Markers

• UVC-288, DMR-006

Attribution History

• 4-O-II-C

External References