1972-D Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-002

Description

Gilroy Roberts' obverse portrait of President Kennedy shows a close spread toward the center on LIBERTY for WDDO-002 of the 1972-D Kennedy half dollar, where the hub misalignment pushed the secondary letter impression slightly inward toward the portrait rather than outward toward the rim. A short die gouge positioned above the T in LIBERTY provides an independent die marker — a raised bump on the coin corresponding to a depression in the die steel — that confirms this specific working die. No significant reverse die markers were noted on Frank Gasparro's heraldic eagle reverse. The Wexler Team cataloged this as Wexler Variety ID: 1972-D 50c WDDO-002, with no other known cross-references. Denver struck approximately 141.9 million Kennedy half dollars in 1972, continuing the clad composition adopted in 1971 for business-strike halves after the 40% silver alloy was discontinued. The "close spread toward the center" classification indicates the hub impressions were nearly coincident, with only subtle inward displacement detectable on the LIBERTY letters — a variety that rewards patient examination under controlled lighting. Kennedy half dollar varieties from the early 1970s occupy a growing niche in the die variety community, as collectors who grew up saving these coins from circulation now seek to identify and attribute the die varieties within their holdings. The die gouge above the T in LIBERTY serves as the most efficient screening criterion, allowing quick identification of candidate coins before the more demanding doubling analysis.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Clarence Chambliss Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1972-D 50¢ WDDO-002
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References