1946-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-009

Description

Ninth obverse doubled die in the VarietyVista census for the 1946-D Roosevelt dime, DDO-009 displays light spread on three obverse elements: the date digits, the designer's initials (JS for John R. Sinnock, positioned side by side at the base of Roosevelt's neck truncation), and the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. The 1946-D holds particular historical significance as a first-year-of-issue dime from the Denver Mint — John R. Sinnock's Roosevelt design debuted in 1946 to honor President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose association with the March of Dimes campaign to combat polio made the dime denomination a fitting memorial. Denver struck approximately 61.0 million Roosevelt dimes in 1946, establishing the new design at a mint facility whose D mintmark would appear on Roosevelt dimes for decades to come. VarietyVista cataloged this variety under UVC-047 and DMR-011, tracking three die stages with an unusual progression: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C where both obverse and reverse have advanced to late die state — the only confirmed stage for this variety. The LDS confirmation for Stage C means the documented specimens show advanced die wear, which may partially obscure the light spread on the date, initials, and motto. An additional diagnostic notation identifies the obverse as ODV-001, providing a design variant code that links this die to a specific hub lineage. The designer's initials JS, positioned side by side near Roosevelt's neckline, provide a particularly compact diagnostic zone where even light doubling can be detected as thickened or slightly displaced letter strokes. Collectors should examine the date, the JS initials, and IN GOD WE TRUST under 15-20x magnification, noting that the LDS die state may require careful lighting to resolve the light spread against the softened surfaces.

Die Markers

• UVC-047
• DMR-011
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References