1939-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-006

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die markers UVC-0464 and DMR-008, DDO-006 on the 1939-S Washington quarter presents a light spread on the date, the ribbon, and the queue — George Washington's characteristic tied ponytail on John Flanagan's obverse portrait. Three die stages have been identified: Stage A shows the obverse in early-to-mid die state with die gouges through the lower letters of AMERICA on the reverse already present in mid die state, Stage B shows the obverse in mid die state with a die crack developing down the eagle's right wing in mid die state, and Stage C in late die state remains unconfirmed. The progression of the die crack down the eagle's wing from Stage A (absent) through Stage B (present) documents the structural failure advancing through the reverse die during production. The 1939-S Washington quarter was struck at the San Francisco Mint in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 6.25 grams with a diameter of 24.26 mm. Produced during the final year of the Great Depression era, the 1939-S had a mintage of approximately 2.63 million pieces — a relatively low figure that makes this a semi-key date in the Washington quarter series. The light spread classification on the date, ribbon, and queue indicates subtle doubling concentrated on design elements in the lower and rear portions of the obverse, suggesting a hub displacement vector oriented in that direction. San Francisco quarters from this period are actively sought by series collectors for their lower mintages and typically superior strike quality compared to Denver and Philadelphia issues.

Die Markers

• UVC-0464
• DMR-008
• Stage A:
• Obverse is EMDS
• Die gouges through lower AMERICA – MDS
• Stage B:
• Obverse is MDS
• Die crack down eagle's Right wing – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References