1951-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-002

Description

Medium spread on E PLURIBUS UNUM, the left eagle wing, and tail feathers characterizes this 1951-S Franklin Half Dollar DDR-002, a regular strike carrying the Cherrypickers designation FS-801. Franklin Half Dollars were produced from 1948 to 1963 with John R. Sinnock's portrait of Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. This variety is attributed within the VarietyVista system as RDV-001b/RDV-001a with die markers UVC-051 and DMR-003. Four die stages document the die's full service life: Stage A at Early Die State remains unconfirmed, Stage B at Mid Die State is also unconfirmed, Stage C shows both the reverse and obverse reaching Late Die State, and Stage D — classified as Very Late Die State — exhibits die scratches running north-to-south on both sides, a rare level of terminal die deterioration documentation. The VLDS designation indicates the die was kept in service far beyond typical retirement, and the N-S scratches across both dies suggest extreme metal fatigue. As FS-801, this variety merits attention from Cherrypickers guide users searching Franklin Halves.

Die Markers

• UVC-051
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Reverse and Obverse are LDS
• Stage D:
• Die scratches North-South on Reverse and Obverse – VLDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Unknown
• FS-801
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References