Record-Setting Auction Results
A 1965 Washington Quarter featuring both a major Doubled Die Obverse and dramatic die breaks sold for $1.8 million at Stack’s Bowers’ 2024 Rarities Night Auction, setting a new world record for modern quarter errors.
Key Features of This Million-Dollar Error
- Extreme Doubled Die Obverse (DDO)
- Class VI doubling (most severe category)
- Dramatic separation visible on “IN GOD WE TRUST”
- Secondary images clear to the naked eye
- Significant Die Break at Washington’s Ear
- 2.3mm raised metal blob
- Shows advanced die deterioration state
- Creates unique “two-ear” appearance
- Perfect Preservation
- PCGS MS-66 grade
- Full original mint luster
- 98% strike quality
How to Verify This Rare Error Combination
Identification Checklist
✅ Date: 1965 (no mint mark)
✅ Weight: 5.67 grams
✅ Doubling: Visible on all obverse lettering
✅ Die Break: Raised metal at ear location
✅ Certification: PCGS/NGC encapsulation required
Grading & Value Breakdown
| Feature | Normal Quarter | This Error Quarter |
|---|---|---|
| DDO Strength | None | Class VI (Extreme) |
| Die Break | None | Major (2.3mm) |
| Grade | MS-65 | MS-66 |
| Value | $10 | $1,800,000 |
Why This Coin Commands Millions
- Historical Significance
- Documents mint’s transition to clad composition
- Shows dramatic die failure during production crunch
- Numismatic Rarity
- Only known example with this error combination
- Last surviving coin from this die pair
- Collector Demand
- Top error specialists competed fiercely
- Represents “holy grail” of modern quarter errors
Authentication Protocol
- Submit to PCGS Error Coin Service
- 3D microscopic imaging of die breaks
- XRF metal analysis for composition
- Provenance research through mint records
