1961 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-013

Description

Franklin half dollar production reached its penultimate year in 1961, and DDO-013 from the Philadelphia proof issue captures light hub doubling on LIBER of LIBERTY and IN GOD — a partial inscription spread affecting the first five letters of LIBERTY while leaving TY undisturbed. VarietyVista documents this proof variety under UVC-176 with die marriage reference DMR-024, tracking three die stages: Stage A in Early Die State (unconfirmed), Stage B with both obverse and reverse in Mid Die State, and Stage C in Late Die State (unconfirmed). The proof designation indicates this coin was produced at the Philadelphia Mint with specially prepared dies on polished planchets, receiving multiple strikes to achieve the deep mirror fields and frosted devices that characterize proof coinage. John R. Sinnock's Franklin portrait design was nearing the end of its run in 1961, with only 1962 and part of 1963 remaining before President Kennedy's assassination prompted the rapid transition to the Kennedy half dollar design. Philadelphia struck proof Franklin half dollars for inclusion in annual proof sets, with 1961 proof set production totaling approximately 3.03 million sets. Light spread on LIBER and IN GOD requires careful examination under magnification against the reflective proof surfaces, which can both enhance and complicate doubling detection. DDO-013 represents the thirteenth obverse doubled die in the 1961 proof census, a number that reflects the intensive variety research applied to this short-lived but beloved half dollar series.

Die Markers

• UVC-176
• DMR-024
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References