1964 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-037

Description

Thirty-seventh in the obverse doubled die census for the 1964 Kennedy half dollar, DDO-037 presents a distinctive medium triple spread on ERTY of LIBERTY and the hair at the back of President Kennedy's head. The triple spread designation — indicating three discernible hub impressions rather than the typical two — places this variety in an uncommon category where the die received not two but three progressively misaligned hubbing operations during manufacture. VarietyVista cataloged this die under UVC-465 and DMR-058, with three die stages: Stage A with obverse and reverse at early die state, Stage B where both surfaces show mid die state characteristics (both confirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The comment notation specifies this variety as a Proof coin utilizing ODV-002/RDV-002 (Flared G), identifying specific obverse and reverse design variants where the "Flared G" refers to a distinctive serif treatment on the letter G that characterizes the RDV-002 reverse hub. The 1964 Kennedy half dollar debuted in January 1964 as a memorial to President Kennedy, with Gilroy Roberts adapting his existing presidential medal portrait for the obverse. Philadelphia struck approximately 273.3 million halves in 1964, while proof production occurred in the millions as well, and the enormous die consumption generated the deepest DDO census of any Kennedy half dollar year. The triple spread on ERTY and the hair detail indicates three discrete moments of hub-to-die contact at slightly different positions, producing overlapping letter images that create a more complex visual signature than standard doubled dies. Collectors should examine the E, R, T, and Y of LIBERTY under 15-20x magnification, looking for three distinct letter profiles rather than the two typically associated with doubled die varieties.

Die Markers

• UVC-465
• DMR-058
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Richard Ray.
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References