1942 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team, this 1942 Washington Quarter shows clockwise hub doubling from a pivot at approximately 1:00, affecting IN GOD WE TRUST, the date, and the lower queue. Struck in 90% silver at Philadelphia during the opening year of American involvement in World War II, this coin was produced when quarter output would soon surge to meet wartime demand. The pivot-based spread is characteristic of rotational doubling, where the hub rotated slightly between successive impressions during die manufacture. Obverse die markers include a die scratch east-northeast from the upper I in LIBERTY. The reverse shows progressive deterioration: a die crack down the eagle's right wing, another east-northeast from the back of the eagle's head, and a third from beneath the F of OF to the upper left wing below AM in AMERICA. This pattern of multiple reverse cracks suggests the die was reaching its end of service life. John Flanagan's Washington portrait, introduced a decade earlier in 1932, anchors what became one of the longest-running quarter designs. A die crack runs from under the F in OF to the upper left wing below the AM in AMERICA.Submitted By: Kevin FlynnCross References: None known Obverse: None significant.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1942 25¢ WDDO-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References