1937-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-005

Description

Class II spread toward center on the date characterizes WDDO-005 on the 1937 San Francisco Mint Mercury Dime. Struck in 90% silver, the Mercury Dime features Adolph Weinman's Liberty in a winged Phrygian cap, a design produced from 1916 through 1945 that remains among the most admired in American coinage. The inward-directed hub displacement compresses the date digits toward the center, creating secondary impressions that shift the numerals from their primary positions. A die crack extends from the rim to wing feathers at the left of T in LIBERTY, documenting structural die failure that provides a supplementary diagnostic independent of the doubling. Cataloged under Wexler Variety ID 1937-S 10¢ WDDO-005, the San Francisco Mint Mercury Dimes from the late 1930s belong to the series' mature production era. The rim-to-feather die crack traces a path from the coin's border through the winged cap area. Class II distorted hub doubling produces the characteristic center-directed compression on the date, differentiating this from outward-spreading or rotational doubled die classes on this pre-war silver dime. Earlier die state coins may show additional points of doubling. Die Markers: Obverse: A die scratch runs parallel to the rim to the left of the Y in LIBERTY.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Thomas McGowan Cross References: None known
• s:; Wexler Variety ID: 1937-S 10¢ WDDO-005
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References