1950-D Doubled Die Reverse DDR-004

Description

VarietyVista cataloged this 1950-D Franklin half dollar as DDR-004, a doubled die reverse displaying light spread on E PLURIBUS UNUM and medium spread on the eagle's wings and the Liberty Bell clapper. The 1950-D Franklin half dollar is composed of 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 12.5 grams and measuring 30.6 mm in diameter, struck at the Denver Mint. Tracked under Universal Variety Code UVC-272 and Die Marker Reference DMR-006, the die progresses through three states: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B at mid die state featuring a die gouge running southwest from the top of the bell clapper, a die scratch running southeast from the M of UNUM to the bell, a die scratch under the E of LIBERTY, and a die gouge in the upper back of the hair, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). Notably, the reverse die is also listed as RPM-002, indicating this same die carries a repunched mintmark, making the complete die pair a dual-variety combination. The variety uses the RDV-001a/RDV-001a reverse die variety pairing. John R. Sinnock designed the Franklin half dollar series (1948-1963), featuring Benjamin Franklin's portrait on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse, with a small eagle to satisfy legal requirements for the denomination. The 1950-D is a notable date in the Franklin series with a relatively low mintage of approximately 2 million pieces, making it one of the key dates. The medium spread on the bell clapper is a focused pickup point, as this small design element clearly reveals any displacement against the bell's smooth surface.

Die Markers

• UVC-272
• DMR-006
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Die gouge Southwest from top of bell clapper – MDS
• Die scratch Southeast from M of UNUM to bell
• Die scratch under E of LIBERTY – MDS
• Die gouge in upper back of hair
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Tony Russo
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References