1946-S Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-002

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1946-S 50¢ WDDR-002, this Walking Liberty Half Dollar carries the remarkable distinction of having all three variety types present on a single die pair. The obverse is also a doubled die listed in the Wexler Doubled Die Files as 1946-S 50¢ WDDO-001, displaying a close Class II spread toward the center on the sun rays, the left lower gown, and IN of IN GOD WE TRUST, with tripling on the far left lower gown, accompanied by an east-west die scratch below the right side of the breast. The reverse is simultaneously an RPM listed in the Wexler RPM Files as 1946-S 50¢ WRPM-001, showing an S/S North repunched mintmark, with light die scratches north above the eagle's head. This triple combination — DDR, DDO, and RPM all on one die pair — represents one of the more unusual convergences of independent die manufacturing events documented in the Walking Liberty Half Dollar series. Adolph A. Weinman's Walking Liberty Half Dollar design, featuring Liberty striding toward the sunrise on the obverse and an eagle perched on a rocky crag on the reverse, was in its final full year of production in 1946 before being replaced by the Kennedy Half Dollar design's predecessor, the Franklin Half, in 1948. Struck at the San Francisco Mint in 90% silver composition weighing 12.50 grams with a diameter of 30.6 mm, the 1946-S was among the last Walking Liberty Half Dollars produced. The convergent Class II doubling on the obverse — where the secondary impression shifts inward — creates a subtle but measurable thickening of the sun rays and gown folds that experienced variety collectors can detect with careful comparison against unaffected specimens.

Attribution History

• s:; Wexler Variety ID: 1946-S 50¢ WDDR-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References