1938 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Fourth in the obverse doubled die census for the inaugural 1938 Washington silver quarter, DDO-004 presents light spread on the D of GOD, WE, and the ST of TRUST — selective doubling confined to specific letters within the IN GOD WE TRUST motto on John Flanagan's obverse design. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-0080 and DMR-006, with a particularly significant die stage progression: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B where the obverse has reached mid die state and the reverse is listed as DDR-002, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The Stage B notation that the reverse is "LISTED as DDR-002" reveals that this die marriage pairs a doubled die obverse with a doubled die reverse — both dies in the marriage carry independent hub doubling attributions, creating a dual-variety die pair of heightened collector interest. Philadelphia struck approximately 5.64 million Washington quarters in 1938, the seventh year of the series and a Depression-era date with a modest mintage that adds scarcity to the variety appeal. The selective doubling pattern — affecting D of GOD, WE, and ST of TRUST but not the adjacent letters IN, GO, or TRU — suggests the hub displacement occurred at an angle that produced varying magnitudes of displacement across the motto, with some letters falling near the axis of minimal movement while others sat in the zone of greater displacement. Light spread means the affected letters show subtle thickening rather than dramatically separated secondary images, requiring careful magnification to confirm. The DDR-002 reverse pairing elevates this die marriage significantly, as collectors who locate DDO-004 simultaneously obtain a specimen of the second reverse doubled die for the date. Collectors should examine the D, WE, and ST elements under 15x magnification, then flip the coin to evaluate the reverse for DDR-002 characteristics.

Die Markers

• UVC-0080
• DMR-006
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse is MDS
• Reverse is LISTED as DDR-002 – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lee Hiemke
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References