1951-D Variety WMHO-001

Description

Denver Mint Washington Quarters from 1951 share a subtle but persistent characteristic with every quarter struck at all three facilities between 1951 and 1954: a moderate clockwise spread on IN GOD WE TRUST originating from the master hub. Designated WMHO-001 by the Wexler Team and cross-referenced by CONECA as SD-4-O-V, this variety exists because doubling was introduced at the master hub level — the single steel tool from which all working hubs descended. Denver received its working hubs from Philadelphia, meaning the D-mintmark coins carry the same fundamental doubling as their Philadelphia and San Francisco counterparts. The Wexler catalog identifies this as 1951-D 25-cent WMHO-001. What makes master hub doubling distinctive is its universality: rather than affecting coins from one die, the displacement propagated through the entire die-making chain to every working die at every mint. The pivot point near 3:00 produces clockwise displacement, concentrating visible spread on the motto. Denver`s 1951 quarter production contributed substantially to that year`s total output, making D-mint examples among the more available specimens for collectors seeking to study this variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: CONECA: SD-4-O-V Comments: Because the master hub is designed to be used over a period of several years, this one was used during the period from 1951 through 1954. Consequently most Washington quarters during that period of time will show this doubling. Differences in the appearance of the doubling will be due to wear on the working hubs, wear on the working dies, and wear on the coins themselves.
• CONECA: SD-4-O-V Comments: Because the master hub is designed to be used over a period of several years, this one was used during the period from 1951 through 1954. Consequently most Washington quarters during that period of time will show this doubling. Differences in the appearance of the doubling will be due to wear on the working hubs, wear on the working dies, and wear on the coins themselves.; Wexler Variety ID: 1951-D 25¢ WMHO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References