1973 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-002

Description

Second cataloged DDR for the 1973 Kennedy Half Dollar, DDR-002 presents medium spread on UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and DOLLAR on Frank Gasparro's heraldic eagle reverse — the same reverse design used on Kennedy Half Dollars from 1964 through the present. Die stage tracking under UVC-529 and DMR-003 reveals an unusually complete three-stage die life documentation: Stage A confirms both reverse and obverse in Early Die State (EDS), Stage B transitions to Mid-Die State (unconfirmed), and Stage C shows both reverse and obverse reaching Late Die State (LDS). The confirmed EDS and LDS stages bracket this die's entire working life, providing collectors with clear reference points for dating their specimens. The 1973 date falls within the copper-nickel clad composition era for Kennedy Half Dollars that began in 1971, following the 40% silver composition period of 1965-1970. Half dollar production volumes dropped significantly in the 1970s as the denomination became less popular in everyday commerce, and the 1973 Philadelphia mintage of approximately 64 million represents a fraction of earlier Kennedy Half Dollar production figures. Cataloged by VarietyVista, DDR-002 on the Kennedy Half Dollar demonstrates that hub doubling events occur across all denominations regardless of production volume, and the medium spread on the peripheral legends provides accessible attribution diagnostics for collectors examining this underappreciated denomination.

Die Markers

• UVC-529
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• Reverse and and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Reverse and Obverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Tom Kalantzis
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References