1943-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-016

Description

Cataloged as DDO-016 with attribution codes UVC-0366 and DMR-017, this 1943-S Washington quarter shows light hub-doubling spread on IN GOD WE TRUST and on LIB of LIBERTY. The doubling is subtle and requires magnification to confirm, but the affected letters show consistent directional spread. An interesting aspect of this die's service life is the differential die wear documented at Stage B: the obverse remains at mid-die state while the reverse has already progressed to late die state. This disparity occurs when one die in a pair wears faster than the other, often because the lower (anvil) die absorbs more impact stress or because one die was newer when paired. San Francisco struck 21.7 million quarters in 1943, all in 90% silver composition. The S mint mark provides an additional attribution checkpoint when examining potential specimens, as the doubling pattern on this variety must be paired with the correct mint of origin to confirm the die marriage.

Die Markers

• UVC-0366
• DMR-017
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse is MDS
• Reverse is LDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lee Hiemke
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References