1956 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-009

Description

Ninth reverse doubled die documented for the 1956 Roosevelt dime, DDR-009 exhibits light spread with extra thickness across UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ONE DIME, UNUM (from E PLURIBUS UNUM), and the right stem of the torch and olive branch design on John R. Sinnock's reverse. VarietyVista classified this variety under UVC-758 and DMR-016, tracking three die stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B where both reverse and obverse surfaces have reached mid die state, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The MDS confirmation for Stage B indicates verified specimens exist with moderate die wear. The "Proof" comment identifies this as a proof-only variety, struck at the Philadelphia Mint using polished dies and specially prepared planchets for the 1956 proof set — one of the era's most popular numismatic products during the proof set collecting boom of the mid-1950s. Philadelphia produced approximately 669,384 proof dimes in 1956, a modest number compared to business strike production but sufficient to generate the multiple die pairs that occasionally carried hub doubling into proof coinage. Light spread producing extra thickness across multiple reverse inscription elements — spanning both the upper UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the lower ONE DIME denominations along with UNUM and the right olive branch stem — indicates a broad hub misalignment affecting the entire reverse field. On proof specimens, the mirror-like surfaces can either enhance or obscure subtle doubling depending on lighting conditions, and collectors should employ angled fiber-optic illumination at 15-20x magnification to modulate the reflections while examining the letter contours for thickening that exceeds normal proof strike sharpness. The right stem provides a particularly useful diagnostic area because its thin profile readily reveals even modest displacement.

Die Markers

• UVC-758
• DMR-016
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Reverse and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References