1976-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-002

Description

America's Bicentennial celebration produced one of numismatics' most distinctive coin programs, with dual-dated "1776-1976" coinage across the quarter, half dollar, and dollar denominations. DDO-002 on the 1976-S quarter captures light hub doubling on the date and the LIB portion of LIBERTY — a partial inscription spread that helps distinguish this variety from other Bicentennial quarter DDOs affecting different letter combinations. This CN clad proof was struck at San Francisco with the special Jack Ahr Colonial Drummer reverse design selected through a national competition. VarietyVista catalogs this under UVC-230 with die marriage reference DMR-005, documenting three die stages: Stage A with both obverse and reverse in Early Die State, Stage B in Mid Die State (unconfirmed), and Stage C in Late Die State (unconfirmed). The light spread on the dual date is particularly noteworthy because the elongated "1776-1976" date occupies significantly more real estate than a standard four-digit date, giving the doubling a wider diagnostic zone. Proof surfaces amplify even light-class doubling by providing the mirror field contrast needed to detect subtle displacement. Collectors should focus on the transition from LIB to ERTY where the doubling abruptly terminates, as this boundary reveals the precise geometry of the hub misalignment and confirms this as DDO-002 rather than a neighboring variety in the census.

Die Markers

• UVC-230
• DMR-005
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Larry Nienaber
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References