1946-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-007

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista with die tracking code UVC-0615 and die marker reference DMR-014, this 1946-D Washington Silver Quarter DDO-007 displays medium spread on the date — a moderately visible displacement of the date digits resulting from hub misalignment during the die manufacturing process. Three documented die stages chart the progression: Stage A is early die state (EDS), unconfirmed; Stage B is mid-die-state (MDS), also unconfirmed; Stage C reaches late die state (LDS) with four significant features emerging — a strong die crack across the base of the bust, a die crack across the upper hair of Washington's portrait on the obverse, a die crack down the eagle's right wing on the reverse, and a centered mintmark position. The notation that the mintmark is centered at Stage C provides an additional attribution point, as some DDO-007 candidates might be confused with other 1946-D doubled die varieties that have differently positioned mintmarks. The concentration of die cracks at Stage C — across the bust base, through the upper hair, and down the eagle's wing — documents concurrent structural failure across both the obverse and reverse dies, with the high-relief areas of the portrait and eagle designs serving as natural stress concentration points where fractures initiate. The 1946-D Washington Quarter was struck at the Denver Mint in 90% silver composition weighing 6.25 grams with a diameter of 24.26 mm, the first post-World War II year of production. John Flanagan designed the coin with Washington's portrait based on Houdon's bust. The 1946-D had a mintage of approximately 9.07 million pieces, and the medium date spread characteristic of DDO-007 falls between the subtle doubling of minor varieties and the dramatic displacement of the most prominent doubled dies known for the Washington Quarter series.

Die Markers

• UVC-0615
• DMR-014
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Strong die crack across base of bust – LDS
• Die crack across upper hair
• Die crack down eagle's Right wing – LDS
• Mintmark is centered

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References