1945 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-004

Description

Documented by VarietyVista under UVC-0539 and DMR-024, this 1945 Washington Silver Quarter displays a medium spread of doubling on UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and E PLURIBUS UNUM — inscription-focused hub displacement where the secondary hubbing impression shifted enough to produce visible separation on the reverse lettering. Three die states are recorded: Stage A at early die state remains unconfirmed, Stage B shows both reverse and obverse at mid-die-state, and Stage C documents late die state with diagnostic die cracks — a crack running from the eagle's right wing to the Q of QUARTER and another crack extending across the forehead and hair on the obverse. These Stage C die cracks are especially significant because they provide definitive die-state identification markers: any specimen showing both the wing-to-Q crack and the forehead crack can be confidently placed in the latest documented stage of this die's production sequence. The Washington Quarter was designed by John Flanagan and struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1945 in 90% silver at 6.25 grams with a 24.3 mm diameter. The 1945 date falls in the final year of World War II, when Philadelphia Mint production maintained high output levels. The medium spread classification on the reverse lettering indicates doubling visible without extreme magnification, typically discernible at 5x to 7x, making this a variety accessible to collectors with basic magnification equipment. The progressive die crack system documented in Stage C reveals the mechanical stress accumulation in this specific die as it approached failure, with cracks propagating from high-stress design elements toward the rim.

Die Markers

• UVC-0539
• DMR-024
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Die crack eagle's Right wing to Q of QUARTER – LDS
• Die crack across forehead and hair – LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Lee Hiemke
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References