1939-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-007

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die identification UVC-0471 and DMR-009, this 1939-S Washington Silver Quarter DDO-007 displays light spread on the date, ribbon, and queue (ponytail) — three design elements positioned in the lower portion of the obverse where the hub displacement produced its most visible effects. The spread on the queue is diagnostically useful because Washington's ponytail provides a long, narrow design element whose fine detail is sensitive to even slight doubling. Three die stages are documented: Stage A at early die state (EDS), unconfirmed; Stage B at mid-die-state (MDS) with numerous die scratches running north-south on both the obverse and reverse; and Stage C at late die state (LDS), unconfirmed. The Stage B bilateral die scratches — numerous north-south lines present on both die faces — suggest a systematic surface treatment applied to both dies simultaneously, possibly a polishing or lapping procedure that introduced these directional marks across both working surfaces. The parallel orientation of the scratches indicates they resulted from a controlled process rather than random contact damage. The 1939-S Washington Silver Quarter was struck at the San Francisco Mint in 90% silver composition weighing 6.25 grams with a 24.26 mm diameter. John Flanagan designed the Washington portrait obverse based on Jean-Antoine Houdon's celebrated bust, and the heraldic eagle reverse with laurel and olive branches served from 1932 through 1998. The San Francisco Mint's 1939 quarter production of approximately 2.6 million pieces was modest, contributing to the relative scarcity of the date-mint combination. The combination of date, ribbon, and queue doubling concentrated in the lower obverse provides collectors with three distinct verification areas for confirming this seventh-cataloged doubled die obverse for the 1939-S quarter.

Die Markers

• UVC-0471
• DMR-009
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Numerous die scratches North-South on Obverse – MDS
• Numerous die scratches North-South on Reverse – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by ZAP's Coins
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References