1969-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-002

Description

Second cataloged doubled die reverse for the 1969 Denver Kennedy Half Dollar, WDDR-002 belongs to the final year of the silver-clad composition (40% silver) that distinguished 1965-1970 Kennedy Half Dollars from the copper-nickel clad issues that followed in 1971. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 1969-D 50¢ WDDR-002, this variety was attributed by the Wexler Team through their systematic examination of Kennedy Half Dollar die marriages. Denver produced 129,881,800 Half Dollars in 1969, a reduced output compared to the peak production years of 1964-1968 as the denomination increasingly moved from active circulation into collector channels. The silver-clad composition introduced in 1965 represented Congress's response to the silver shortage: rather than the 90% silver used through 1964, the outer layers contained 80% silver bonded to a 21% silver core, yielding a net 40% silver content per coin. Hub doubling on the heraldic eagle reverse of Gasparro's design manifests on the spread eagle, shield, arrows, olive branch, and surrounding inscriptions — elements whose fine detail amplifies the visual effect of even minor hub displacement during the die manufacturing process. As the second DDR for 1969-D, WDDR-002 complements the primary DDR-001 attribution and may exhibit different spread characteristics reflecting a separate hub misalignment event on a distinct working die.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1969-D 50¢ WDDR-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References