2008-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-002

Description

Submitted by Bob McCann and cataloged as Wexler Variety ID 2008-D 25¢ NM SF WDDR-002, this doubled die reverse on the 2008-D New Mexico Statehood Fiscal Quarter presents doubling on the Zia Sun symbol — specifically on the bottom of the 1st ray and the lower left side of the 2nd ray from the left in the rays pointing south. The Zia Sun, a sacred symbol of the Zia people of New Mexico featuring four groups of four rays emanating from a central circle, dominates the quarter's reverse design by Don Everhart, and its geometric precision makes it particularly responsive to hub displacement: the straight, parallel rays act as natural gauges where even slight doubling creates visible secondary edges alongside the primary ray lines. No significant die markers were recorded on either the obverse or reverse in the initial documentation, though the obverse carries parallel E/W die scratches running through the lower U of UNITED to the N — directional die preparation marks that serve as an incidental attribution feature. The "NM SF" component of the Wexler ID specifies the New Mexico Statehood Fiscal designation within the State Quarters 1999-2008 program. Struck at the Denver Mint in copper-nickel clad composition at 5.67 grams, the 2008-D New Mexico Quarter was part of the program's tenth and final year, which also included Oklahoma, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii. The State Quarter program's rapid cycling through 50 designs over a decade created abundant opportunities for die varieties on each issue, and the Zia Sun's linear ray pattern makes the New Mexico reverse among the more diagnostically clear designs for doubled die identification at 5x to 7x magnification.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bob McCann Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2008-D 25¢ NM SF WDDR-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References