1965 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-008

Description

Eighth doubled die reverse for the 1965 Kennedy Half Dollar, DDR-008 displays a compelling medium triple spread on all the stars in the heraldic circle and the stars between the rays, combined with additional spread on AMERICA and lighter doubling on the arrows and designer's initials. The triple spread — indicating three distinct hub impressions at slightly different positions — makes this a particularly complex variety that demonstrates how the multi-impression hubbing process could produce overlapping images when alignment varied across successive contacts. Cataloged by VarietyVista with technical codes UVC-409 and DMR-017, the die stage documentation records Stage A with both reverse and obverse in early die state, while Stages B and C remain unconfirmed. The 1965 Kennedy Half Dollar holds special significance as the first year of the silver-clad composition (40% silver overall), replacing the 90% silver of the 1964 debut issue. Production occurred without mint marks during the 1965-1967 SMS era, when the Mint suspended proof production and removed mint marks from all coins in response to the coin shortage crisis. The medium spread on the heraldic stars combined with the triple impression creates a visual density under magnification that distinguishes this variety from simpler doubled dies showing only two impressions. The designer's initials (Frank Gasparro's FG on the reverse) provide an additional attribution point where the doubling can be confirmed. Cataloged by VarietyVista, DDR-008 documents one of the more visually engaging doubled die reverses from the inaugural year of the silver-clad Kennedy Half Dollar.

Die Markers

• UVC-409
• DMR-017
• Stage A:
• Reverse and and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Michael R. Taw
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References