2018 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Assigned primary Wexler obverse doubled die status for the 2018 Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore quarter (Michigan), WDDO-001 exhibits extra thickness and notching on IN GOD WE TRUST, the P mintmark, QUARTER DOLLAR, and slightly on AMERICA — an unusually broad distribution of affected design elements spanning the obverse inscription areas. The America the Beautiful quarter program (2010-2021) featured five new reverse designs annually, each depicting a national park or site from a different state or territory, while retaining John Flanagan's Washington portrait on the obverse with Laura Gardin Fraser's revised design adopted in some production years. Philadelphia struck the 2018 Pictured Rocks quarter as part of the program's ninth year, generating the standard high-volume production that characterized ATB quarter output. The obverse die marker — a die chip on the base of the bust to the left of the designer's initials — provides a confirmation diagnostic independent of the doubling analysis, while the reverse carries no significant markers. The Wexler Team cataloged this variety under Wexler Variety ID: 2018-P 25c MI WDDO-001, with no additional cross-references currently known. The notching effect noted in addition to extra thickness indicates that the doubling is strong enough to produce visible steps or serrations along the edges of affected letters, particularly on the bolder inscription elements like QUARTER DOLLAR where the thicker letterforms most clearly display the secondary impression. As WDDO-001, this variety holds primary position in the doubled die census for the 2018 Michigan quarter, representing the most notable obverse hub doubling event documented for this issue. Collectors should verify the die chip at the bust base, then examine IGWT and QUARTER DOLLAR at 10-12x magnification for the thickened and notched letterforms that distinguish this variety.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Howard Herrington Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 2018-P 25¢ MI WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References