1963-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-003

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1963-D 25¢ WDDO-003, this Washington Silver Quarter displays a spread toward the center on IN GOD WE TRUST, the date, the designer's initials JF (for John Flanagan), the lower queue of Washington's hair ribbon, and the Y of LIBERTY — a convergent doubling pattern that draws secondary images inward across multiple obverse design elements. No cross-references to other cataloging systems are currently known. The obverse die markers are extensive: a die scratch running north-south to the left of the neck, die scratches running south from the underside of the nose, a die crack running east-west through the upper hair, and a die crack running across the base of the bust. The reverse carries its own diagnostic markers including a die gouge below the right side of the R in AMERICA and a die scratch running west-southwest to east-northeast above the front of the arrows in the eagle's claw. The two obverse die cracks — through the upper hair and across the bust base — document structural deterioration in the die that adds progressive attribution markers to later-struck specimens. John Flanagan designed the Washington Quarter in 1932, featuring George Washington based on the Houdon bust, with the heraldic eagle reverse that served from 1932 through 1998. Struck at the Denver Mint in 1963, the coin is composed of 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 6.25 grams with a 24.3 mm diameter and a reeded edge. As the penultimate year of silver quarter production before the Coinage Act of 1965 eliminated silver from the denomination, the 1963-D carries the historical significance of being among the last silver quarters struck for circulation.

Attribution History

• Discovered by John A. Wexler Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1963-D 25¢ WDDO-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References