2009 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-016

Description

Slight doubling to the right of the left elbow and between the first two black piano keys on the left characterizes WDDR-016 on the 2009 Philadelphia DC Quarter featuring Duke Ellington at the piano. The Wexler Team attributed this variety with distinctive obverse die markers: a die gouge below the right side of the D in UNITED and a short horizontal die gouge north of the E in WE — precise positional references that allow collectors to identify this specific die before confirming the reverse doubling. Reverse die markers include a die gouge above the S in PLURIBUS, providing a third confirmatory reference point. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 2009-P 25c DC WDDR-016 with no additional known references, this is the sixteenth doubled die reverse documented for the DC Quarter issue, demonstrating remarkable variety production within a design that was only struck during a single year as part of the DC and US Territories Quarters program. The "slight" characterization indicates the doubling is less pronounced than on some other 2009 DC DDR entries, requiring careful examination of the Ellington figure's elbow area and the piano key details under magnification. The Ellington design's inclusion of a piano — with its regular array of black and white keys — provides a geometric reference grid against which even minimal doubling becomes detectable, as the parallel key edges reveal hub displacement that might be invisible against more organic design elements like leaves or drapery.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Steven Bernatowicz Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2009-P 25¢ DC WDDR-016
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References