1971-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-008

Description

Eighth in the obverse doubled die census for the 1971-D Kennedy half dollar, DDO-008 shows medium spread on LIBERTY, IN, TRUST, and the date across the obverse of Gilroy Roberts's Kennedy portrait. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-177 and DMR-010, with three documented die stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B where both obverse and reverse surfaces display mid die state characteristics, and Stage C where both obverse and reverse have progressed to late die state. The MDS and LDS confirmations for Stages B and C provide collectors with a documented die state progression for tracking specimens across the production life of this die. An additional classification note identifies the obverse as ODV-003 (Obverse Design Variant 003), and the variety can be found in United States Mint Sets of that year. Denver struck approximately 302.1 million clad Kennedy half dollars in 1971, a substantial output as the denomination transitioned to the copper-nickel clad composition introduced in 1971 after the 40% silver composition used from 1965 to 1970. The medium spread classification indicates clearly visible doubling across the affected inscriptions and date without requiring extreme magnification, and the breadth of affected elements — LIBERTY, IN, TRUST, and the date — suggests a comprehensive hub displacement that affected most of the obverse inscription fields. The Kennedy half dollar's large 30.6mm diameter provides ample surface area for variety examination, and collectors should use 10-15x magnification to examine the affected inscriptions, paying particular attention to the letter serifs and date digits where medium spread is most readily apparent.

Die Markers

• UVC-177
• DMR-010
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Geoffrey Fults
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References