1971-S Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-010

Description

Carrying the Wexler Variety ID 1971-S 50c Pr WDDO-010 and attributed by the Wexler Team, this doubled die obverse appears on the 1971-S proof Kennedy half dollar from the San Francisco Mint. Struck in copper-nickel clad composition, this coin weighs 11.34 grams at 30.6 mm diameter and belongs to the Kennedy Half Dollars Clad and Silver Proof 1971 to Date series. The WDDO-010 designation places it among the earlier-numbered varieties for this date, suggesting it was one of the first doubled die obverses identified on the 1971-S proof half dollar. The Kennedy half dollar series began in 1964 with Gilroy Roberts' portrait of President John F. Kennedy, created with remarkable speed following the president's assassination in November 1963. The first coins were struck in January 1964, and the design has remained essentially unchanged on the obverse for over sixty years. By 1971, the San Francisco Mint's proof production had settled into a reliable annual pattern, with proof sets available by mail order to collectors. The die manufacturing process during this period created favorable conditions for doubled die production, as multiple impressions of the hub were needed to fully transfer the design into each working die. The proof striking process itself, with its polished blanks struck twice at higher pressure, produced coins with exceptional detail that makes even subtle doubling more readily apparent than on business strikes, contributing to the large number of varieties documented on 1971-S proof Kennedy halves.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1971-S 50¢ Pr WDDO-010
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References