1943 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-029

Description

Tracked by VarietyVista under die marker codes UVC-0315 and DMR-030, the 1943 DDO-029 Washington Silver Quarter exhibits a strong spread on the eye, nose, chin, WE, and the last T of TRUST, with extra thickness also visible on LIBERTY — a doubled die obverse affecting both the facial features of Washington's portrait and the surrounding inscriptions. The concentration of visible doubling on facial features (eye, nose, chin) makes this variety particularly engaging, as portrait elements are the natural focus of visual examination and doubled die effects on these high-relief anatomical details create a distinctive appearance even under moderate magnification. Three die states are documented: Stage A in early die state (EDS), unconfirmed; Stage B where both obverse and reverse are in MDS; and Stage C in late die state (LDS), where two die cracks develop — one running across Washington's bust and another extending across the eagle's wing under UNITED on the reverse. These LDS cracks, spanning different dies in the pair, indicate that both dies were approaching the end of their operational life simultaneously by Stage C. The Washington Silver Quarter was originally designed by John Flanagan, adapted from a bust by Jean-Antoine Houdon, and struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1943 from 90% silver at 6.25 grams with a 24.3 mm diameter. The 1943 issue was produced during World War II, a period when mint production priorities shifted to support the war effort while maintaining circulating coinage supply. The strong classification of the facial feature spread distinguishes this from the many subtle doubled dies in the Washington Quarter series, and the DDO-029 sequential number indicates the extensive documentation effort that has identified at least 29 doubled die obverse varieties for the 1943 date.

Die Markers

• UVC-0315
• DMR-030
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Die crack across bust – LDS
• Die crack on wing under UNITED – LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lee Hiemke
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References