1964-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-012

Description

Twelfth in the obverse doubled die census for the 1964-D Kennedy half dollar, DDO-012 presents medium spread on WE TRUST, the 4 of the date, TY of LIBERTY, and the hair directly under the R of LIBERTY on Gilroy Roberts' presidential portrait. VarietyVista cataloged this variety under UVC-052 and DMR-014, with Stage A documenting a distinctive die gouge dot on the bust point at early-to-mid die state (EMDS) while the reverse is also at EMDS. Stage B at mid die state and Stage C at late die state remain unconfirmed. The comments identify the reverse as RDV-001 (Straight G), referring to a Reverse Design Variant where the G in the engraver's initials has a straight horizontal bar rather than a curved one — a design element that helps distinguish between reverse hub types used during the 1964 Kennedy half dollar production. Denver struck approximately 156.21 million Kennedy half dollars in 1964, a massive output driven by intense public demand for the new design honoring the assassinated president. The 1964-D remains the only date in the silver Kennedy half series struck at Denver, as the design debuted in 1964 and transitioned to 40% silver-clad composition in 1965. Medium spread across four distinct diagnostic zones — WE TRUST at upper right, the 4 in the date at lower left, TY of LIBERTY at upper left, and the hair detail under R — demonstrates a hub misalignment that produced detectable displacement across a wide arc of the obverse die face. The die gouge dot on the bust point at Stage A provides a die-state-specific marker that aids in determining whether a specimen represents early or later production from this die. Collectors should examine WE TRUST and the numeral 4 under 10-15x magnification where the medium spread is most readily apparent.

Die Markers

• UVC-052
• DMR-014
• Stage A:
• Die gouge dot on bust point – EMDS
• Reverse is EMDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Tim Martin
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References