1944 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-012

Description

Bearing VarietyVista die identifiers UVC-0388 and DMR-013, this twelfth cataloged doubled die obverse for the 1944 Washington Silver Quarter displays light spread on IN GOD WE TRUST along with a distinctive notch on the upper portion of the first digit 1 in the date. Three die stages have been tracked: Stage A in early die state is unconfirmed, Stage B in mid-die state is similarly unconfirmed, and Stage C shows both obverse surfaces at late die state. The Washington Quarter was designed by John Flanagan based on a 1786 bust by Jean-Antoine Houdon, and the 1944 issue was struck in the standard 90% silver composition that would continue until 1964. Wartime production at Philadelphia ran at high volumes — over 104 million quarters that year — placing extraordinary demands on die manufacturing. The notch visible on the upper 1 of the date represents an area where the doubled image creates an interruption in the digit's outline, a distinctive diagnostic that distinguishes DDO-012 from the eleven other doubled die obverse varieties documented for this date. Attribution requires careful examination under magnification to separate the light spread from normal die deterioration.

Die Markers

• UVC-0388
• DMR-013
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Obverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lee Hiemke
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References