1961 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-007

Description

Medium spread on E PL of PLURIBUS and UNU of UNUM, accompanied by light spread on the eagle, defines this seventh cataloged doubled die reverse for the 1961 Franklin Half Dollar. John R. Sinnock designed the Franklin Half Dollar in 1948, featuring Benjamin Franklin's portrait on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse alongside a small eagle — included to satisfy the legal requirement for an eagle on half dollars. The doubling on this variety affects the motto and denomination lettering while extending to the eagle device, indicating a hub displacement substantial enough to register across multiple design zones. VarietyVista documented this variety under UVC-171 and DMR-019 with three die stages: Stage A shows both reverse and obverse in Early Die State, while Stage B (MDS) and Stage C (LDS) remain unconfirmed. The 1961 Franklin Half was struck in 90% silver at Philadelphia, with a mintage of approximately 8.3 million pieces — one of the lower production figures for the series. Only two more years of Franklin Halves would follow before the Kennedy design replaced it in 1964, giving late-date Franklin varieties a terminal-year collectibility factor.

Die Markers

• UVC-171
• DMR-019
• Stage A:
• Reverse and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References