1948 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Struck in the inaugural year of John R. Sinnock's Franklin Half Dollar design, DDO-004 exhibits a strong spread resulting from a light hubbing on the LIB of LIBERTY and IN GOD WE. The combination of a strong spread from a light hubbing is a noteworthy diagnostic: it indicates that while the secondary hub contact was brief or shallow, the angular displacement was sufficient to produce clearly separated doubled images on the affected letters. The 1948 Franklin Half Dollar replaced the Walking Liberty design and was struck at Philadelphia in 90% silver. Sinnock's obverse portrait of Benjamin Franklin and his reverse Liberty Bell design would continue through 1963, when the Kennedy Half Dollar succeeded the series. Die markers include UVC-299 and DMR-010. Three die stages document the die's service life: Stage A at Early Die State remains unconfirmed, Stage B records both obverse and reverse at Mid Die State, and Stage C at Late Die State is likewise unconfirmed. The limited stage confirmation at the extremes suggests that Early and Late Die State specimens remain scarce or unstudied, offering opportunities for future census work on this first-year doubled die.

Die Markers

• UVC-299
• DMR-010
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chad DeLillo
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References