1945 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-003

Description

Light hub doubling restricted to the letters LIBE within LIBERTY marks DDO-003 on the 1945 Washington silver quarter, cataloged by VarietyVista as UVC-0519 with die marriage reference DMR-004. The localized nature of the spread — affecting only the first four letters while leaving RTY undisturbed — is consistent with a slight pivot or rock during the hubbing process that concentrated displacement toward one end of the inscription. Die-stage analysis reveals three documented states: Stage A in unconfirmed early die state, Stage B at mid-die-state showing a die scratch running southwest from the final T of TRUST (with the reverse also reaching MDS), and Stage C at unconfirmed late die state. Philadelphia produced nearly 74 million quarters in 1945, the final year of World War II, and these 90% silver coins were struck during a period when the Mint was managing both military and civilian coinage demands simultaneously. The southwest die scratch from the T of TRUST provides a definitive attribution marker for Stage B specimens, offering collectors a concrete diagnostic to pair with the LIBERTY doubling when confirming this variety. Magnification of at least 10x is recommended for evaluating the subtle spread on the letter serifs.

Die Markers

• UVC-0519
• DMR-004
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die scratch Southwest from last T of TRUST – MDS
• Reverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Jose Cortez
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References