1946 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-003

Description

Rounding out the early DDO census for the inaugural 1946 Roosevelt dime, DDO-003 exhibits light spread on the date, LIBERTY, the profile, and the eyeball — a distributed doubling pattern that touches both inscriptions and portrait features on John R. Sinnock's design. VarietyVista cataloged this variety under UVC-005 and DMR-005, tracking three die stages: Stage A where both obverse and reverse surfaces exhibit early-to-mid die state (EMDS), Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The EMDS confirmation for Stage A places documented specimens in the transitional zone between fresh dies and fully mid-state surfaces. The comments identify the obverse as ODV-001 (Obverse Design Variant 001) and note that a specimen is needed for new color digital photographs, indicating existing reference imagery requires updating. Philadelphia struck approximately 255.3 million Roosevelt dimes in 1946, the first year of the series following Franklin D. Roosevelt's April 1945 death. Light spread across four diagnostic areas — the date, LIBERTY, the profile contour, and the eyeball — indicates a hub displacement that produced detectable but subtle effects across a broad section of the obverse die. The eyeball diagnostic is particularly noteworthy because doubling on spherical design elements like the eye can produce a distinctive widened or doubled pupil effect that is visually compelling even at light spread magnitudes. The ODV-001 designation adds a second attributable characteristic to this die, establishing a dual-classification entry that combines hub doubling with an obverse design variant. As a first-year issue, the 1946 Roosevelt dime attracts heightened collector interest for varieties, and three documented DDOs for the date reflects that sustained attention. Collectors should examine the date, LIBERTY, profile outline, and eyeball under 15x magnification for consistent light displacement.

Die Markers

• UVC-005
• DMR-005
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EMDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Delma K. Romines
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References