1940-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-004

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team, WDDO-004 on the 1940 San Francisco Mint Mercury Dime documents hub doubling on this 90% silver issue. Struck in the classic composition of 90% silver and 10% copper, the Mercury Dime features Adolph Weinman's Liberty in a winged Phrygian cap, a design produced from 1916 through 1945. The die markers include scratches that run from specific design elements, providing supplementary identification points independent of the doubling itself. The 1940-S belongs to the pre-war production era of the series, when San Francisco Mint silver dime output served western circulation needs. Weinman's design remains among the most admired in American coinage, and the Mercury Dime series attracts dedicated variety collectors who systematically examine dates and mint marks for hub doubling evidence. The San Francisco Mint struck Mercury Dimes throughout the series run, and doubled die varieties from S-mint issues document the separate die preparation process at each facility. The hub doubling creates secondary impressions on the obverse design elements, where the displacement generates doubled contours within the portrait and legend framework of this late pre-war San Francisco silver dime. A spread towards the center shows on the date and slightly on IGWT. Die Markers: Obverse: A die scratch curves from north to south to the right of the back of the neck. A die scratch runs from WSW to ENE through the upper OD in GOD. Reverse: Die scratches un from SW to NE through the upper right leaves and branches some of which are detached due to heavy abrading. Numerous N/S die scratches run through the left leaves and branches.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1940-S 10¢ WDDO-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References