Not doubled but DC quarter still a find

I spent part of my Memorial Day weekend at a family backyard barbecue at my nephew’s house on Sunday.

In between games of pitcher’s hand, tossing a football, ladder ball and the general chitchat, my 12-year-old grandnephew said that he had obtained a District of Columbia quarter in circulation. It is hard to find here as elsewhere. It was the first he had seen.
He wondered if I wanted to see it.

Sure, I wanted to see it.

The coin was a 2009-D. When new coins finally make it to my neck of the woods, they usually are from Denver.

We were out in the sunshine and I could not see Duke Ellington’s name on the piano in the bright light, so I asked if there was any evidence of doubling.

My grandnephew looked at it and quickly said there wasn’t. So, other readers will have to continue to scour their change for the design and see if a second example of the strongly doubled “E” in Ellington can be found.

I hope so.

Last week’s reader poll registered the opinion that the error is overrated by a 76 percent majority, but that number could easily swing the other way if more and more examples of it can be found in circulation. There is nothing like a few thousand collectors with newly found coins to help persuade the rest of us that the find is significant.

This was the only numismatic conversation I had during my entire weekend. I guess that means I relaxed.