1970-D Doubled Die Reverse DDR-009

Description

Light spread on the stars beneath UNITED STATES OF AMERICA identifies this 1970 Denver Mint Kennedy Half Dollar as the ninth documented doubled die reverse for the final year of the silver-clad composition. VarietyVista catalogs the variety with die markers UVC-478 and DMR-011, documenting a rich die history: Stage A in Early Die State shows a die scratch from the lower E of AMERICA through the star below it, with the obverse also in EDS. Stage B reveals a strong die clash on both reverse and obverse at Mid Die State — indicating the dies struck each other without a planchet between them, transferring design elements from one die to the other. Stage C at Late Die State remains unconfirmed. The comments note this variety can be found in Mint Sets, and the reverse is identified as RDV-002, the "Flared G" reverse die variety — a design variant where the G in the engraver's initials appears with a distinctive flared serif. The 1970-D Kennedy Half Dollar is the last date struck in the 40% silver-clad composition used from 1965 through 1970, making it a transitional issue before the switch to copper-nickel clad in 1971. Nine doubled die reverses for this date reflects the research interest in final-year silver clad halves, and the combination of doubling, die clash evidence, and the Flared G reverse variety makes DDR-009 a multi-featured variety appealing to advanced Kennedy Half Dollar specialists.

Die Markers

• UVC-478
• DMR-011
• Stage A:
• Die scratch from lower E of AMERICA through lower star under it – EDS
• Obverse is EDS
• Stage B:
• Strong die clash on Reverse and Obverse – MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References