1966 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-011

Description

Eleventh in the obverse doubled die census for the 1966 Kennedy half dollar, DDO-011 exhibits medium spread on IN GOD WE TRUST, light spread on LIBERTY, and tripling on the date — a combination of hub doubling intensities that creates a visually complex variety. VarietyVista assigned die identifiers UVC-085 and DMR-013, and the comments note the presence of a die scratch running southeast from the D of GOD to the bust point, providing a distinctive secondary diagnostic for confirming the specific working die. Three die stages are documented, tracking the die's progression from early through late service. This variety was struck as a Special Mint Set (SMS) specimen — the collector-oriented format that replaced proof sets during the 1965-1967 period when the United States Mint suspended proof coinage and removed mint marks from all coins in response to the nationwide coin shortage. SMS coins were produced at Philadelphia using specially prepared dies and planchets that yielded a finish intermediate between business strikes and proofs, and the die preparation process for SMS production could introduce hub doubling events when the working hub impressed the die with imperfect alignment. The tripling on the date is particularly noteworthy, as it indicates at least three distinct hub impressions at slightly different positions — the primary impression plus two secondary ones — creating a more complex doubled (or tripled) appearance than standard two-impression hub doubling. Gilroy Roberts' obverse portrait of President Kennedy, introduced in 1964, places the IN GOD WE TRUST motto along the lower portion of the portrait where medium spread produces clearly thickened letter strokes. The light spread on LIBERTY indicates less displacement in the left-field inscription, while the date tripling below the portrait provides the most dramatic visual effect. The die scratch from GOD to the bust point adds a unique identification marker that confirms the correct die attribution.

Die Markers

• UVC-085
• DMR-013
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die scratch Southeast from D of GOD to bust point – MDS
• Reverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Unknown
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References