1933-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Walking Liberty Half Dollar doubled die obverses are scarce and sought after, and this 1933-S DDO-001 adds the appeal of a semi-key date from the Depression era. Adolph Weinman's Art Deco masterpiece — Liberty striding toward the sunrise with the flag draped over her shoulders — is one of the most celebrated designs in American coinage, and die varieties on this type command strong specialist interest. The doubling manifests as light spread on Liberty's hemline. Cataloged by VarietyVista under UVC-155 with die marker reference DMR-002, three die states are documented with Stage B photographs contributed by David Camire. By Stage C, the die shows progressive deterioration: die cracks running from the head to the rim, from the eye to the flag stars, and across the outer wing tips, documenting gradual mechanical failure across continued use. San Francisco's 1933-S half dollar production occurred during the depths of the Great Depression when mintages were sharply reduced, making die varieties from this date inherently scarcer. The progression from clean early state through Stage C's extensive cracking provides a complete narrative of this die's working life.

Die Markers

• UVC-155
• DMR-002
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Light die crack from head to rim – LDS
• Light die crack from eye into flag stars
• Die crak outer wing tips – LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by David Lange
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References