1960 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-006

Description

Light spread on E PLURIBUS UNUM, HALF DOLLAR, AMERICA, and the eagle characterizes this 1960 Philadelphia Mint Franklin Half Dollar doubled die reverse, the sixth cataloged DDR for this date. VarietyVista assigns die markers UVC-147 and DMR-014, with Stages A (EDS) and C (LDS) unconfirmed, while Stage B shows both reverse and obverse in Mid Die State. The doubling affects multiple text elements and the eagle design on John R. Sinnock's reverse, which features the Liberty Bell as the primary motif with a small eagle to the right — the eagle having been added to satisfy the statutory requirement that half dollars display an eagle, a mandate that led Congress to accept Sinnock's design only after the eagle was included. The 1960 Franklin Half Dollar was produced near the end of this series, which ran from 1948 until Kennedy's assassination prompted the 1964 design change. Philadelphia struck over 6.0 million business strike Franklin halves in 1960, providing a substantial population from which variety researchers have identified at least six doubled die reverses. The light spread on this DDR-006 indicates a close hub displacement where the shift between impressions was small, producing thickened lettering rather than a clearly separated secondary image — requiring careful examination under magnification to confirm the variety.

Die Markers

• UVC-147
• DMR-014
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References