1951 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Premier doubled die obverse for the 1951 Philadelphia Mint Franklin Half Dollar, exhibiting extra thickness on IN GOD, the designer's initials (JRS for John R. Sinnock), and LIBERTY — with distinctive notching visible on the lower letters of LIBERTY. The notched appearance is a useful diagnostic, as the irregular serration-like effect stands apart from the clean lines of an undoubled die. Cataloged by VarietyVista under UVC-042 with die marker reference DMR-003, the die stages reveal a progressively deteriorating die. Stage C documents a telling feature: a die dent between the diagonal and right vertical bars of the N in IN, visible in Late Die State, with the reverse also reaching LDS. The reverse die variety is RDV-001b. Franklin Half Dollars struck at Philadelphia in 1951 form part of the early production years for this series, which debuted in 1948 and continued through 1963 before the Kennedy Half Dollar replaced it. As the first cataloged DDO for the date, DDO-001 represents the most significant obverse hub doubling on the 1951 Franklin, with extra thickness across multiple design elements and notched LIBERTY letters providing multiple attribution points.

Die Markers

• UVC-042
• DMR-003
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• Die dent between diagonal and Right vertical bars of N of IN – LDS
• Reverse is LDS

Attribution History

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

External References