1956 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-010

Description

Rounding out the first ten obverse doubled dies documented for the 1956 Franklin half dollar, DDO-010 presents light spread on the date, IN GOD WE TRUST, and LIBERTY on John R. Sinnock's obverse design featuring Benjamin Franklin's portrait — the same designer responsible for the Roosevelt dime that debuted two years earlier. VarietyVista cataloged this variety under UVC-250 and DMR-023, documenting three die stages with particularly informative early die state markers: Stage A features die gouges on the numeral 6 of the date, a die chip on the back of the numeral 9, and the reverse at early die state — all confirmed at EDS. Stage B is at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The reverse carries the additional designation RDV-002, a Reverse Design Variant that identifies the specific reverse hub lineage used for this die. Philadelphia struck approximately 4.70 million Franklin half dollars in 1956, a relatively modest mintage that reflected declining demand for half dollars in everyday commerce. The Stage A die markers provide particularly valuable identification checkpoints: die gouges on the 6 and a die chip on the 9 are specific, locatable features that collectors can use to confirm the correct die before examining the subtle doubling. Light spread across three major obverse elements — date, motto, and LIBERTY — indicates a hub displacement with broad coverage rather than a localized distortion. The Franklin half dollar series (1948-1963) has received increasing variety attention as collectors recognized the depth of doubled die documentation available for the type. Sinnock's portrait of Franklin, adapted from a Jean-Antoine Houdon marble bust, provides detailed hair, facial features, and inscription elements where light doubling manifests as subtle thickening visible under 15x magnification.

Die Markers

• UVC-250
• DMR-023
• Stage A:
• Die gouges on 6 of date – EDS
• Die chip on back of 9
• Reverse is EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Dennis Mize
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References