1942 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-004

Description

Spread toward center on this 1942 Walking Liberty Half Dollar, affecting the date, beginning of the hill at the right shoe, sun rays, left shoe, lower left drapery, back of the gown above the shoe, and the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. Attributed by the Wexler Team under Wexler Variety ID: 1942 50¢ WDDO-004, with no other known cross-references. Obverse die markers: a light E/W die scratch positioned slightly above center between the 1 and 9 in the date. Reverse markers include N/S die scratches through the pine needles left of the second (from top) wing feather on the heraldic eagle. Adolph Weinman's Walking Liberty design, with its flowing drapery, intricate sun ray patterns, and full-figure composition, provides extensive surface area where hub displacement can manifest across multiple design elements simultaneously. The center-directed spread suggests the hub was slightly undersized or the die was over-sunk on one of its impressions, creating inward-facing doubling. Philadelphia struck approximately 47.8 million half dollars in 1942, the early war year.

Attribution History

• Discovered by William Bland Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1942 50¢ WDDO-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References