1966 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-014

Description

Fourteenth DDO for the 1966 Kennedy Half Dollar, this silver-clad era doubled die shows medium spread across multiple portrait elements: the profile, eye, earlobe, hair behind the ear, back of the neck, and the designer's initials, with light spread also visible on WE and inside the loop of the last 6 in the date. The breadth of affected design elements — spanning from the eye through the hair to the neck truncation and extending to peripheral legends — indicates a rotational hub shift that affected a wide swath of the die face during the manufacturing process. VarietyVista assigns UVC-088 and DMR-016, with three die stages: Stage A at Early Die State unconfirmed, Stage B showing the obverse and reverse at Mid Die State, and Stage C at Late Die State also unconfirmed. The VarietyVista comments notation reads "BS." The 1966 Kennedy Half Dollar occupies a transitional position in American coinage: it was the second year of the silver-clad composition (40% silver), struck during the Special Mint Set era when traditional proof and uncirculated mint sets were suspended in favor of SMS issues. No proof versions exist for 1966, making business strikes and SMS specimens the only formats available. Fourteen doubled die obverses documented for 1966 confirms the year's significance in Kennedy Half Dollar die variety research. The silver-clad composition, combined with the variety premium, makes these coins valuable to both variety collectors and those who appreciate the series' precious metal content.

Die Markers

• UVC-088
• DMR-016
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References