1968-S Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-003

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as 1968-S 50c Pr WDDR-003 and submitted by Brian Ribar, this proof Kennedy Half Dollar displays a combination of Class VI extra thickness on the stars in the circle and letters of USA and HALF DOLLAR, along with a Class V clockwise spread from a pivot at approximately 9 o'clock visible on AMERICA and the R of DOLLAR. The dual-class mechanism — Class V pivoted hub doubling combined with Class VI distended hub doubling — produces a complex pattern where some design elements show rotational displacement while others exhibit thickening from die surface expansion, creating diagnostically distinct signatures in different areas of the reverse. Obverse die markers include a short vertical die gouge to the right of the upper T in LIBERTY, while reverse markers include a short vertical die scratch inside the lower E in UNITED, a die gouge inside the center left O in DOLLAR, and a large FG (Frank Gasparro's designer initials). The large FG notation is diagnostically significant because the size of the engraver's initials can vary between working dies, serving as an additional identification marker. The 1968-S Kennedy Half Dollar was struck at the San Francisco Mint as a proof in the 40% silver clad composition (outer layers of 80% silver/20% copper bonded to a core of 20.9% silver/79.1% copper) weighing 11.50 grams with a 30.6 mm diameter. Gilroy Roberts designed the obverse Kennedy portrait and Frank Gasparro designed the heraldic eagle reverse. The 1965-1970 silver clad proofs represent a transitional period between the original 90% silver 1964 issue and the copper-nickel clad composition adopted for circulation strikes beginning in 1971. The clockwise pivotal spread from the 9 o'clock position concentrates visible doubling on elements opposite the pivot point.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Kevin Flynn Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1968-S 50¢ Pr WDDR-003
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References