1989 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Identified by light hub doubling spread and extra thickness on LIBERTY, the 1989 Washington Quarter DDO-001 is the primary doubled die obverse for this Philadelphia Mint date. The extra thickness on LIBERTY's letterforms — where the doubled contour merges closely with the primary impression rather than separating into distinctly split images — indicates a very close hub displacement during die production. Die markers UVC-1867 and DMR-002 track this working die through three documented stages: Stage A where both obverse and reverse are in early die state, Stage B in mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C in late die state (unconfirmed). This variety can be found in official U.S. Mint Sets, giving collectors a targeted source for specimens preserved in original government packaging. Struck in copper-nickel clad at 5.67 grams on John Flanagan's Washington obverse, this 1989 issue comes from the modern clad era well after the 1965 composition change. Attributed by VarietyVista. The 1989-P quarter had a mintage of 512,868,000 — a substantial production run, though the DDO-001 represents only one working die from that pool. Examine LIBERTY under magnification for the light secondary contours adding extra thickness to the primary letterforms, and check Mint Set coins for well-preserved examples.

Die Markers

• UVC-1867
• DMR-002
• 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