1948 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-007

Description

Medium spread northwest on E PLURIBUS UNUM, the dots, and UNITED marks this seventh doubled die reverse for the 1948 Franklin Half Dollar — the inaugural year of John R. Sinnock's design that replaced the Walking Liberty type. Cataloged as UVC-264 with DMR-008 in the VarietyVista system, DDR-007 has three documented die states with progressively increasing deterioration: Stage A in early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B in mid-die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C showing numerous die scratches on the reverse in late die state, with the obverse listed as DDO-003 also in LDS. The die marriage with DDO-003 creates a dual-doubled coin — both sides carrying hub doubling from separate imperfect impressions — which doubles the attribution interest and collector appeal. The northwest spread direction indicates the hub was shifted in that specific vector between impressions during die preparation, displacing E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED in a consistent direction that aids attribution. As the first-year issue, the 1948 Franklin Half Dollar occupies a special place in the series, and die varieties from this date carry first-year-of-type significance. The Franklin Half Dollar was struck in 90% silver at 12.5 grams, and the series ran from 1948 through 1963 before being replaced by the Kennedy Half Dollar. Seven doubled die reverses documented for the inaugural year reflects both the number of dies produced for the new design and the attention first-year issues receive from variety researchers. The LDS Stage C with its numerous reverse die scratches documents the die's terminal condition, providing insight into how long dies were kept in service during the series' first year of production.

Die Markers

• UVC-264
• DMR-008
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Numerous die scratches on Reverse – LDS
• Obverse is LISTED as DDO-003 – LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brett Parrish
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References