1946-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Ranked third in the Wexler obverse doubled die census for the 1946-D Washington quarter, WDDO-003 shows a clockwise spread from a pivot point at approximately the 2 o'clock position, affecting IN GOD WE TRUST and the date on the obverse designed by John Flanagan after a 1931 competition to commemorate Washington's bicentennial. The clockwise pivoted hub doubling — a Class V mechanism in the Wexler classification system — means the secondary hub impression rotated relative to the primary around an axis near the 2 o'clock position, producing increasing displacement as distance from the pivot point grows. This explains why IGWT and the date, located away from the pivot center, show visible spread while design elements near the 2 o'clock region remain virtually unaffected. Denver struck approximately 9.07 million quarters in 1946, the first postwar year when production resumed normal peacetime levels after the wartime silver conservation measures of 1942-1945. Obverse die markers include a die crack running across the base of Washington's bust, and a die gouge located below the bust west of the bottom of the ribbon — both diagnostics specific to this working die that serve as confirmation points independent of the doubling itself. No significant reverse die markers were recorded. The Wexler Team cataloged this variety under Wexler Variety ID: 1946-D 25c WDDO-003, with no additional cross-references currently known. Collectors examining this variety should direct attention to the motto and date under 10-15x magnification, where the clockwise displacement appears as a secondary impression trailing the primary letterforms in the direction of rotation, most pronounced on the letters farthest from the 2 o'clock pivot axis.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Geoffrey Fults Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1946-D 25¢ WDDO-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References