1941 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-015

Description

On the eve of America's entry into World War II, the Philadelphia Mint produced this Washington Quarter doubled die reverse exhibiting light spread on the lower letters of UNITED STATES OF. Cataloged as UVC-0181 with a die marriage rating of DMR-031, this variety advances through four documented die states that trace the die's gradual deterioration. Stage A at early die state and Stage B at mid die state both remain unconfirmed. By Stage C, the reverse reaches late die state, and die cracks develop across the forehead and hair on the obverse as well as across the bust — markers that signal the die's impending failure. Stage D is the terminal condition: a die crack extends down the eagle's right wing to the Q of QUARTER, and another crack appears on the wing under AM of AMERICA, with both obverse and reverse now at very late die state. This progressive cracking pattern provides collectors with a useful roadmap for sequencing specimens within the die marriage. Attributed by VarietyVista researchers, DDR-015 is one of many doubled die reverses cataloged for the pre-war Washington Quarter series.

Die Markers

• UVC-0181
• DMR-031
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Revere is LDS
• Die crack across forehead and hair – LDS
• Die crack across bust
• Stage D:
• Die crack down eagle's Right (viewer's Left) wing to Q of QUARTER – VLDS
• Die crack on wing under AM of AMERICA
• Obverse is VLDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jose Cortez
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References