1956 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-010

Description

Tenth in the reverse doubled die census for the 1956 Franklin half dollar, DDR-010 exhibits strong extra thickness across UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, HALF DOLLAR, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and the eagle — a comprehensive spread that affects virtually every major reverse inscription plus the heraldic eagle device. John R. Sinnock designed the Franklin half dollar series, which ran from 1948 through 1963, and the reverse Liberty Bell with its flanking small eagle has generated a rich doubled die census across the fifteen-year production span. VarietyVista documented this variety under UVC-107 and DMR-021, tracking three die stages: Stage A with die scratches on the lower right bell at early die state and the obverse also at EDS, Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The Stage A die scratches on the lower right bell provide a crucial secondary diagnostic that confirms the specific working die independent of the doubling characteristics. The comment notation indicates this reverse employs RDV-002, a specific reverse design variant that distinguishes the master die lineage from other Franklin half dollar reverse variants. Philadelphia struck approximately 4.03 million Franklin halves in 1956, a moderate mintage that reflects typical mid-1950s production levels. The strong classification for the extra thickness places DDR-010 among the more prominent doubled dies in the 1956 census, where the breadth of affected elements — spanning three separate inscriptions plus the eagle — indicates a substantial hub displacement that affected the entire working area of the die face. Collectors should examine the letters of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA under 10-15x magnification for thickened strokes that exceed normal strike width.

Die Markers

• UVC-107
• DMR-021
• Stage A:
• Die scratches on lower Right bell – EDS
• Obverse is EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Dennis Mize
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References