1940-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1940-S 25¢ WDDO-001 and submitted by John A. Wexler himself — co-founder of the Wexler Die Variety Files — this Washington Silver Quarter exhibits doubling manifesting as a spread to the north on IN GOD WE TRUST and the underside of Roosevelt's nose. The northward spread indicates the secondary hub impression was shifted slightly upward relative to the primary, concentrating visible displacement on inscription and portrait elements where the upward offset creates measurable separation. No cross-references to other cataloging systems are currently known. Obverse die markers include parallel die scratches running southwest from the bottom of the E in LIBERTY and a die scratch running east-southeast from the bottom of the Y in LIBERTY — a pair of scratch markers positioned near the same inscription. Reverse markers are more dramatic: a die crack runs down the right wing and extends to the upper left side of the Q in QUARTER, and a second die crack runs through the US of PLURIBUS and down the upper half of the eagle's left wing. These two substantial reverse die cracks document significant structural failure across the heraldic eagle design. The Washington Quarter was designed by John Flanagan based on Jean-Antoine Houdon's famous bust of George Washington, struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1940 in 90% silver composition weighing 6.25 grams with a diameter of 24.26 mm. The 1940-S had a mintage of approximately 2.8 million pieces, making it a lower-mintage issue in the early Washington Quarter series. The WDDO-001 designation as the first cataloged doubled die obverse for this date-mint positions it as the primary DDO variety for 1940-S Washington Quarter collectors.

Attribution History

• s:; Wexler Variety ID: 1940-S 25¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References