1957 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-003

Description

Specific letter pairs rather than complete words show the doubling on DDR-003 for the 1957 Philadelphia Franklin half dollar — light spread and extra thickness concentrate on AR of DOLLAR and OF AMERICA on the Liberty Bell reverse. This localized hub misalignment manifested most visibly on these particular zones of the reverse die. John R. Sinnock's reverse design, featuring the Liberty Bell with its famous crack rendered as a raised line, was in its tenth year of production when this die was prepared. Philadelphia struck approximately 5.11 million Franklin half dollars in 1957, all in the 90% silver, 30.6mm format. Reported by Delma K. Romines, DDR-003 is the third documented doubled die reverse for the date. The restriction of visible doubling to AR of DOLLAR and OF AMERICA provides focused diagnostic zones — collectors should examine these specific letter pairs under magnification rather than scanning the entire reverse legend, as the hub misalignment may not have produced detectable effects on the remaining text.

External References