1966 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-004

Description

Fourth reverse doubled die cataloged for the 1966 Kennedy half dollar, DDR-004 presents light spread on stars under and letters of STATES OF AMERICA, as well as stars positioned between the heraldic eagle's rays on Frank Gasparro's reverse design. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-104 and DMR-032, with all three die stages confirmed: Stage A with reverse and obverse at early die state, Stage B with both at mid die state, and Stage C with both at late die state — a complete die state progression that is unusual in its full documentation and provides collectors with reference points at every stage of the die's production life. The comment notation "SMS" identifies this variety as originating from the Special Mint Set production of 1966, a year when no traditional proof sets were manufactured and SMS coins served as the premium collector product. SMS coins were struck using specially prepared dies and selected planchets at the San Francisco Assay Office, though they bore no mintmark under the 1965-1967 policy. The 40% silver-clad composition Kennedy half dollar of 1966 carried a total mintage of approximately 108.98 million pieces, but SMS coins represented only a fraction of that total and received distinct manufacturing treatment. Light spread across the stars and inscription letters in the STATES OF AMERICA zone indicates hub displacement concentrated in the upper portion of the reverse, and the dual star groups — those beneath the inscription and those between the eagle's rays — provide multiple diagnostic checkpoints. The full EDS-MDS-LDS confirmation across all three stages gives this variety comprehensive documentation, allowing collectors to identify specimens at any point in the die's service life and position their example within the chronological production sequence.

Die Markers

• UVC-104
• DMR-032
• Stage A:
• Reverse and and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• Reverse and and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Reverse and and Obverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ralph Huntzinger
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References