1946 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-010

Description

Tenth in the doubled die obverse census for the 1946 Roosevelt dime, DDO-010 exhibits light spread on the date, John R. Sinnock's designer initials JS running top to bottom, and the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the inaugural year of this enduring dime design honoring Franklin Delano Roosevelt. VarietyVista assigned die identifiers UVC-012 and DMR-012 and documented three die stages spanning the full working die lifecycle: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B where both obverse and reverse surfaces have progressed to mid die state, and Stage C where both obverse and reverse have reached late die state. The MDS and LDS confirmations for Stages B and C indicate that specimens from multiple points in the die's production life have been examined and verified. The obverse is classified as ODV-001, the first Obverse Design Variant in the Roosevelt dime series, placing this die within the earliest hub lineage used for the type's debut production. Philadelphia struck approximately 255.3 million dimes in 1946, the first year Roosevelt's profile replaced the Winged Liberty Head (Mercury) design that had served since 1916. The light spread affecting the date, designer's initials, and IGWT — three elements concentrated in the lower-right and upper regions of the obverse — suggests a hub displacement that influenced a broad swath of the die face rather than a narrow localized zone. The JS initials, positioned at the truncation of Roosevelt's neck just below the jawline, provide finely detailed letterforms where even light doubling becomes detectable. Collectors should examine the date numerals and JS initials under 15-20x magnification, using angled lighting to resolve the secondary impressions characteristic of this light spread DDO.

Die Markers

• UVC-012
• DMR-012
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Delma K. Romines
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References