1969-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-009

Description

Ninth in the reverse doubled die census for the 1969-S Kennedy half dollar, DDR-009 presents medium spread on the letters of STATES OF AMERICA, the stars positioned beneath those letters, and the arrows held in the heraldic eagle's talons on Frank Gasparro's reverse design. VarietyVista cataloged this die under UVC-568 and DMR-013, with three documented die stages: Stage A where both reverse and obverse surfaces exhibit early die state characteristics, Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The EDS confirmation for Stage A ensures specimens with fresh die surfaces have been verified for this variety. The comments are notably dense with classification data: "Proof" identifies this as a San Francisco proof striking, "RDV-003" establishes the Reverse Design Variant, and "ODV-002a (MDO)" designates the Obverse Design Variant 002a with a Master Die Obverse classification — a layered attribution that documents both dies and their master die origins in a single die marriage. Kennedy half dollars struck at San Francisco in 1969 were produced in the 40% silver-clad composition, the penultimate year of this transitional metallurgy before the shift to copper-nickel clad in 1971. The MDO (Master Die Obverse) notation suggests the obverse die variant can be traced to a specific master die, providing die genealogy information beyond the working die level. Medium spread on the stars and STATES OF AMERICA creates diagnostic opportunities across the upper-right quadrant of the reverse, where the letters and star points provide detailed reference surfaces for detecting hub displacement. Proof striking on polished dies enhances the contrast between primary and secondary impressions, making this a relatively accessible variety for authentication on properly preserved specimens.

Die Markers

• UVC-568
• DMR-013
• Stage A:
• Reverse and and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Clough
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References