1937-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1937-S 25¢ WDDO-002, this San Francisco Mint Washington Quarter displays a close clockwise spread on the date and the bottom of Washington's hair ribbon — the tied queue at the back of George Washington's head on John Flanagan's obverse design. Die marker documentation remains incomplete, with the Wexler Team noting that a better-grade specimen is needed to fully determine obverse die characteristics. The clockwise rotational spread indicates the secondary hub impression was slightly rotated clockwise relative to the primary impression, producing offset that varies in direction around the die face depending on each element's angular position relative to the rotation center. On the date and the hair ribbon's bottom, this rotational displacement manifests as a shifted secondary image whose direction follows the clockwise arc — meaning the doubled image on the date may point in a slightly different direction than the doubled image on the ribbon, because each element sits at a different angular position relative to the pivot point. The "close" proximity classification indicates the rotation was small enough that the separation between primary and secondary images is narrow, requiring magnification to resolve. The hair ribbon is a distinctive feature of Flanagan's Washington portrait: the tied queue extends down the back of the neck, and its lower terminus — where the ribbon ends — provides a compact diagnostic zone where even small rotational offset creates detectable separation. The 1937-S was struck at the San Francisco Mint in 90% silver at 6.25 grams during the early years of the Washington Quarter series, which debuted in 1932. With incomplete die marker documentation pending a higher-grade specimen, collectors should focus attribution on confirming the clockwise spread direction at the date and ribbon terminus under 10x magnification.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Joe Feld Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1937-S 25¢ WDDO-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References