2017 Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-019

Description

Approaching the twentieth entry in the DDR sequence for the 2017 Frederick Douglass National Historical Site quarter, WDDR-019 reflects the extraordinary productivity of this coin design for variety discoveries. Attributed by the Wexler Team under Wexler Variety ID 2017-P 25c DC WDDR-019, this identifies a distinct working die that received imprecise hubbing at the Philadelphia Mint. The hubbing process requires the design hub to impress the working die under enormous hydraulic pressure, and any movement between successive impressions — rotational, lateral, or angular — transfers a doubled image. That doubled die then reproduces the error on every coin it strikes, potentially numbering in the tens of thousands before retirement. The volume of Frederick Douglass DDR varieties suggests whatever caused the hub misalignment may have been persistent rather than isolated. Thomas D. Rogers Sr.'s reverse composition, blending portraiture, furniture, architecture, and landscape, presents multiple zones where doubling can manifest, and experienced variety hunters systematically examine each zone when searching for new varieties.

Attribution History

• Discovered by George W. Powell, Jr. Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2017-P 25¢ DC WDDR-019
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References