1956 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-007

Description

Spanning three reverse inscription areas plus a design element on the heraldic eagle, DDR-007 on the 1956 Proof Washington Quarter shows light extra thickness on UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and the eagle's plume — a feather detail within the heraldic eagle clutching the olive branch and arrows on John Flanagan's reverse. Lee Hiemke reported this variety. The involvement of the eagle's plume alongside the two text areas demonstrates that the hub displacement affected both inscription and pictorial elements: the plume's fine, parallel feather barbs provide an especially sensitive diagnostic surface where even slight broadening from near-coincident hub doubling becomes readily apparent as thickened barb lines. Light extra thickness across three widely separated areas — the country name arcing across the top, the motto below, and the plume within the central eagle — indicates a broad hub misalignment that affected the full reverse die face at an intensity level that uniformly broadened features without producing clearly separated secondary images. As a proof coin struck at the Philadelphia Mint on polished planchets with mirror-finish dies, the reflective proof surfaces create high contrast that can enhance the visibility of even subtle extra thickness against the mirrored fields. The 1956 proof quarter was struck in 90% silver at 6.25 grams, available exclusively through annual proof sets. DDR-007's high catalog number reflects extensive documentation of 1956 proof reverse varieties, with at least seven distinct doubled die reverses identified. The eagle's plume provides the most efficient initial examination point under 7x magnification before confirming on the broader inscription areas.

External References