1946 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die identifiers UVC-0592 and DMR-005, this 1946 Washington Silver Quarter DDO-004 exhibits light spread on the date and the designer's initials JF (John Flanagan), accompanied by rotation on the RTY of LIBERTY — a compound doubling pattern combining directional spread on the lower obverse elements with a rotational component affecting the upper inscription. Three die stages track the die's progression: Stage A at early die state (EDS, unconfirmed), Stage B at mid-die-state featuring a die crack across the queue (ponytail) and ribbon extending into the field on the obverse and a die crack down the eagle's right wing on the reverse, and Stage C at late die state (LDS, unconfirmed). The Stage B die cracks across both obverse (queue/ribbon area) and reverse (eagle's wing) document concurrent structural deterioration in both dies, with each crack providing an independent die identification marker. The rotational doubling on RTY of LIBERTY, concentrated on the rightmost letters, suggests the pivot point lies toward the left side of the die, producing increasing angular displacement moving rightward across the inscription. The 1946 Washington Silver Quarter was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 90% silver composition (90% silver, 10% copper) weighing 6.25 grams with a 24.26 mm diameter — the first year of post-World War II quarter production as the Mint resumed normal operations after wartime restrictions. John Flanagan designed the obverse Washington portrait based on Houdon's bust, and the heraldic eagle reverse. The 1946 Philadelphia mintage was approximately 53.4 million pieces, and DDO-004 captures one instance of hub misalignment from that production run.

Die Markers

• UVC-0592
• DMR-005
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die crack across queue and ribbon into field – MDS
• Die crack down eagle's Right wing – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Joe Feld
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References