1970-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-006

Description

Sixth obverse doubled die in the VarietyVista census for the 1970-S Kennedy half dollar, DDO-006 displays medium spread on all outer lettering, the date, and the hair at the top of John F. Kennedy's head — encompassing virtually the entire obverse inscription field and a distinctive sculptural element of Gilroy Roberts' portrait design. The 1970-S Kennedy half dollar holds special status among collectors as the final year of the 40% silver clad composition (1965-1970), after which the denomination transitioned to copper-nickel clad for circulation issues while silver was reserved for proof and special collector editions. San Francisco struck approximately 2.15 million 1970-S halves, all distributed exclusively in Mint Sets — none were released through normal circulation channels — making every 1970-S Kennedy half dollar a collector issue from the outset. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-320 and DMR-008, tracking three die stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B where both obverse and reverse exhibit mid die state characteristics, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The MDS confirmation for Stage B provides an intermediate reference point. The comments contain two important notations: "Proof" identifies the striking method — this is a proof specimen from the 1970-S proof set, not a Mint Set coin — and "RDV-003" identifies the reverse design variant. The breadth of the medium spread — affecting outer lettering, date, and hair simultaneously — indicates a significant hub displacement that shifted the secondary impression across the full obverse field. Collectors should examine the hair detail at the top of Kennedy's head under 10-15x magnification, where the fine sculptural strands most readily reveal the displaced secondary hub impression, and then confirm by checking the date and peripheral inscriptions for consistent directional spread.

Die Markers

• UVC-320
• DMR-008
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ron Pope
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References