1950-D Doubled Die Reverse DDR-001

Description

Holding the primary reverse doubled die designation for the 1950-D Franklin half dollar, DDR-001 presents medium spread on E PLURIBUS UNUM, the left eagle wings, and the tail feathers on John R. Sinnock's reverse — a design featuring the Liberty Bell as the central device with a small eagle positioned to its right as required by law. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-0036 and DMR-002, with a particularly detailed die stage progression: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B where a strong die gouge has developed under the AR of DOLLAR at mid die state with the obverse also at MDS, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The strong die gouge under AR of DOLLAR at Stage B provides an excellent intermediate die state marker that is readily identifiable without magnification on well-preserved specimens. Denver struck approximately 8.03 million Franklin half dollars in 1950, a relatively modest mintage for the denomination. The comments note dual reverse design variant classifications — "RDV-001b/RDV-001a" — suggesting this die exhibits characteristics that bridge two identified reverse hub variants, potentially indicating a transitional hub state or a die that received impressions from hubs of two different generations. Medium spread on the eagle's left wing and tail feathers exploits the fine detail of the small eagle device, where individual feather barbs provide high-resolution surfaces for revealing hub displacement. The E PLURIBUS UNUM motto positioned in the upper field provides a secondary diagnostic zone where letter-based doubling can be evaluated independently of the feather detail. As DDR-001, this represents the benchmark reverse doubled die for the 1950-D Franklin half, occupying the primary position in the variety census for this date-mint combination.

Die Markers

• UVC-0036
• DMR-002
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Strong die gouge under AR of DOLLAR – MDS
• Obverse is MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Bill Fivaz
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References