1955 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-001

Description

Benchmark doubled die reverse for the 1955 Philadelphia Franklin half dollar, DDR-001 shows light extra thickness on E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA across the Liberty Bell reverse. John R. Sinnock's reverse design, dominated by the Liberty Bell with the small eagle required by law positioned to the right, provided ample legend text where hub misalignment could manifest as visible doubling. Philadelphia struck approximately 18.2 million Franklin half dollars in 1955, all in the 90% silver composition at 30.6mm diameter. Reported by James Wiles, a leading authority on Franklin half dollar die varieties, DDR-001 holds the primary designation for this date's reverse doubled dies. The light extra thickness on both the motto and the denomination legend indicates the secondary hub impression closely overlapped the primary, producing uniformly bolder lettering rather than visible lateral separation. Examination under magnification should compare the letter stroke widths of E PLURIBUS UNUM and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA against confirmed undoubled 1955 Franklin half dollars, looking for consistently heavier text across multiple elements.

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