1969-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Extra thickness on the date, designer's initials, IN GOD WE TRUST, and LIBERTY marks this first-cataloged doubled die obverse for the 1969-S Roosevelt Dime — a proof-only issue struck at the San Francisco Mint during the early clad era. The comprehensive spread across multiple obverse elements including the designer's JS initials and all major legends indicates substantial hub displacement during die manufacture. VarietyVista tracks this variety under UVC-529 and DMR-002 with three die stages: Stage A shows both obverse and reverse in Early Die State, while Stage B (MDS) and Stage C (LDS) remain unconfirmed. As DDO-001, this carries the primary designation for doubled die obverses on the 1969-S proof dime, typically indicating it was either the most prominent or earliest discovered variety for the date. The 1969-S proof dime was part of the annual proof set sold to collectors, meaning specimens were generally preserved in higher grades than circulation strikes. John R. Sinnock's Roosevelt portrait, introduced in 1946, features fine hair detail and precise lettering that readily reveals doubling effects. The clad composition adopted in 1965 replaced the 90% silver alloy, and by 1969 the San Francisco facility was exclusively handling proof production for the denomination.

Die Markers

• UVC-529
• DMR-002
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References