1946-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Cataloged under VarietyVista tracking codes UVC-0631 and DMR-006, this fourth doubled die obverse for the 1946 San Francisco Mint Washington Quarter displays light spread on LIBERTY — a subtle but diagnostically significant manifestation of hub doubling on John Flanagan's iconic silver quarter design. The doubling mechanism involves a misalignment between successive impressions of the hub into the working die during the die manufacturing process, creating offset design elements that transfer to every coin struck from that die. Three documented die stages trace this variety's progression through the production run: Stage A represents early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B corresponds to mid-die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C shows both the obverse and reverse in late die state, indicating the die pair saw extended service before retirement. San Francisco's 1946 quarter production occurred during the postwar transition when the mint facility was ramping production back toward peacetime demand after years of wartime priority. The 90% silver composition of these quarters — standard from the series' 1932 debut through 1964 — means that surviving examples face continual attrition from melt value, making documented die varieties from this era increasingly difficult to locate. Light spread on LIBERTY requires careful examination under magnification, as the doubling manifests primarily as extra thickness or slight separation of the letter strokes rather than dramatic displacement. Collectors pursuing complete DDO attribution sets for the Washington Silver Quarter series value entries like DDO-004 for filling out the comprehensive record of hub doubling events across all date-and-mint combinations.

Die Markers

• UVC-0631
• DMR-006
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Unknown
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References