1961 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Class II spread toward the center on IGWT, the date, the lower ribbon, and LIBE of LIBERTY establishes WDDO-001 as the primary doubled die obverse for the 1961 Proof Washington Silver Quarter — a variety recognized across three major attribution systems. CONECA designates it 1-O-II, the Cherrypickers' Guide lists it as FS-25-1961-101, and the Wexler system catalogs it as 1961 25c Pr WDDO-001. This triple-listing confirms the variety's significance within the proof Washington quarter series. Philadelphia produced 3,028,244 proof sets in 1961, each containing a quarter struck on 90% silver planchets using specially prepared dies. The Class II spread toward center indicates that the hub was slightly compressed or shifted inward during a secondary impression, creating doubling that converges rather than diverges — a mechanism that produces a distinctive "shelf" effect on affected letters and numerals. A short diagonal die gouge between the upper one and nine in the date serves as the primary obverse die marker, while the reverse carries no significant markers. The Wexler Team's attribution places this variety at the top of the 1961 proof quarter doubled die hierarchy, and the FS-25-1961-101 Cherrypickers' designation ensures it appears in the most widely consulted variety reference guides used by both dealers and collectors.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ralph Huntzinger Cross References: CONECA: 1-O-II, Cherrypickers: FS-25-1961-101
• CONECA: 1-O-II, Cherrypickers: FS-25-1961-101; Wexler Variety ID: 1961 25¢ Pr WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References