1960 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Holding the flagship DDO-001 designation for the 1960 Philadelphia Mint Franklin Half Dollar, this primary doubled die obverse displays a light spread on the upper portion of LIBERTY — one of the most prominent design elements on John R. Sinnock's obverse portrait where hub doubling typically manifests as slightly displaced or thickened lettering. Cataloged by VarietyVista with technical codes UVC-136 and DMR-003, the die stage progression records Stage A as unconfirmed in early die state, Stage B showing both obverse and reverse at mid-die state, and Stage C as unconfirmed in late die state. The Franklin Half Dollar (1948-1963) was the first circulating United States coin to feature a non-president — Benjamin Franklin's portrait honored one of America's founding fathers and most versatile historical figures. The 1960-P date had a business strike mintage of 6,024,000, placing it among the lower-production Franklin dates. As the primary DDO listing (number 001), this variety represents the flagship doubled die obverse for the date and typically receives the most attention from variety collectors and cherry-pickers examining 1960-P Franklin halves. The light spread on upper LIBERTY, while subtle, is diagnostically significant because it confirms that a hub doubling event occurred during die manufacture for this particular die — and every coin struck from it carries the same doubled impression. Franklin Half Dollar varieties benefit from the series' relatively short sixteen-year run, which makes comprehensive variety collecting more approachable than in longer-lived series. Cataloged by VarietyVista, DDO-001 anchors the doubled die obverse catalog for the 1960 Franklin Half Dollar.

Die Markers

• UVC-136
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Delma K. Romines
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References