1946 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Second doubled die obverse documented for the 1946 Philadelphia Mint Walking Liberty Half Dollar, WDDO-002 displays a spread on the draperies of both sides of Liberty's waist and the drapery below the left shoulder — design elements that showcase Adolph A. Weinman's artistically acclaimed full-figure Liberty striding toward the dawn. The Walking Liberty Half Dollar is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful coin designs in American numismatic history, and doubled die varieties on this type receive particular attention because the high-relief, detail-rich design responds dramatically to even modest hub misalignment. Die markers identified by the Wexler Team include die scratches running west from Liberty's profile and east from the back of her head and neck on the obverse, while the reverse shows die scratches below the eagle's beak extending south to the US of PLURIBUS. The 1946 issue marks the final year of the Walking Liberty design, which was replaced by the Franklin Half Dollar beginning in 1948 after a production pause in 1947 for the denomination. Philadelphia struck 12,118,000 half dollars in 1946, all in 90% silver, and the final-year status gives varieties from this date additional collector interest. The Wexler Team assigned this variety the designation 1946 50-cent WDDO-002, with no other known cross-references. The specific location of doubling on the waist draperies — where multiple parallel fabric folds create closely spaced design elements — makes this variety particularly sensitive to hub displacement, as even a slight offset multiplies the visual effect across the numerous drapery lines. Documented by the Wexler Team.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Kevin Flynn Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1946 50¢ WDDO-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References