1983-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-005

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista under UVC-2024 and DMR-007, this 1983-S Washington Quarter shows strong doubled die spread on LIBERTY, the upper hair, the forehead, and the nose of John Flanagan's Washington portrait — affecting both inscriptions and portrait features, which makes this a variety with multiple strong diagnostic zones. Three die stages are documented: Stage A with both obverse and reverse at early die state, Stage B at mid-die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The 1983-S Washington Quarter was struck exclusively as a proof issue at the San Francisco Mint, making this a proof-only doubled die variety. Strong spread on the forehead and nose of Washington's portrait creates dramatic visual doubling on the face itself, while the LIBERTY inscription above provides additional confirmation in a more conventional diagnostic area. Proof Washington Quarters from 1983 were part of the standard proof set, struck in clad composition with mirror finishes on specially polished dies. The "strong" spread designation from VarietyVista indicates this is among the more visually prominent doubled die obverses in the Washington Quarter series, potentially detectable under lower magnification than varieties rated as "light" or "medium." The upper hair doubling is particularly distinctive, as Washington's elaborately rendered hairstyle with its flowing locks provides rich topography where hub displacement creates visible separation between primary and secondary impressions.

Die Markers

• UVC-2024
• DMR-007
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References