1963 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-008

Description

Final year of the Franklin Half Dollar series yielded DDO-008, which displays medium spread on TRUST and the 63 of the date with lighter spread on LIBERTY and IN GOD WE. John R. Sinnock's portrait of Benjamin Franklin — the only non-president to appear on a circulating U.S. coin denomination other than the cent — was about to be replaced by Gilroy Roberts' Kennedy Half Dollar design in early 1964. The 1963 proof mintage from Philadelphia totaled approximately 3.075 million pieces, and collectors have identified at least eight doubled die obverses from this final year, reflecting the series' popularity among variety researchers. Die markers UVC-205 and DMR-010 track three die stages: Stage A at Early Die State (EDS, unconfirmed), Stage B where both obverse and reverse reach Mid-Die State (MDS), and Stage C at Late Die State (LDS, unconfirmed). The medium spread on the date digits is particularly diagnostic, as the 63 shows sufficient displacement to be confirmed under moderate magnification. Cataloged by VarietyVista, DDO-008 captures a moment of die production imperfection in the concluding chapter of a series that ran from 1948 through 1963, offering collectors both variety interest and terminal-year significance.

Die Markers

• UVC-205
• DMR-010
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Dave Biglow
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References