1963 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-003

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista as DDR-003 with die marker references UVC-213 and DMR-018, this doubled die reverse variety was struck on a 1963 Franklin half dollar, the final year of the series before the Kennedy half dollar replaced it in 1964. The Franklin half dollar, designed by John R. Sinnock and produced from 1948 through 1963, was composed of 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 12.5 grams with a 30.6 mm diameter and a reeded edge. The 1963 Franklin half carries particular significance as a terminal-year issue, and large numbers were saved by collectors aware that the assassination of President Kennedy would likely lead to a new half dollar design, which indeed happened within weeks. The doubling on DDR-003 manifests as a medium spread on UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and HALF DOLLAR, with lighter doubling on E PLUR of PLURIBUS, UNU of UNUM, and the eagle's left wing feathers on Sinnock's Liberty Bell reverse. The bell reverse is distinctive in American coinage — the Liberty Bell occupies the center with a small eagle to the right, required by law to appear on half dollars. The distribution of doubling across both the lettering and the eagle's wing feathers indicates hub displacement affected a broad swath of the die surface. VarietyVista documents three die stages: Stage A shows both reverse and obverse in early die state, Stage B shows both in mid die state, and Stage C is a late die state that remains unconfirmed. Franklin half dollar doubled die varieties from 1963 are actively sought by collectors because the series' relatively short fifteen-year production run and its status as the final classic silver half dollar design give all Franklin varieties an enthusiastic collector base. DDR-003 as the third cataloged doubled die reverse confirms the depth of die variety study applied to this terminal-year issue.

Die Markers

• UVC-213
• DMR-018
• Stage A:
• Reverse and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• Reverse and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Frank Baumann
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References