1966 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Struck during the Special Mint Set era when the U.S. Mint suspended both proof production and mintmark usage from 1965 through 1967, this 1966 Kennedy Half Dollar DDO-004 displays medium-spread doubling on IN GOD WE TRUST with lighter spread visible on the chin, eye, and RTY of LIBERTY including the hair detail beneath the R of LIBERTY. Gilroy Roberts' obverse portrait of President Kennedy provides multiple areas where this hub doubling manifests across both the lettering and portrait features. Die markers include UVC-078 and die marriage DMR-006, with four documented die stages: Stage A shows both obverse and reverse in Early Die State, Stage B advances to Mid-Die State, Stage C reaches Late Die State, and Stage D exhibits a die break on the front trunk of the bust in Very Late Die State with the reverse also in Very Late Die State. Attributed by VarietyVista. The four-stage die state progression documented for this variety offers collectors the opportunity to study how the die deteriorated across its working life, from crisp early strikes through the terminal die break that marks Stage D.

Die Markers

• UVC-078
• DMR-006
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS
• Stage D:
• Die break on front trunk of bust – VLDS
• Reverse is VLDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Geoffrey Fults
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References