1963 Doubled Die Reverse DDR-002

Description

VarietyVista catalogs this Franklin half dollar under UVC-212 with die marker reference DMR-017, documenting a medium spread across the reverse inscriptions E PLURIBUS UNUM, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, HALF DOLLAR, and extending into the eagle's feather details. The doubling manifests as a thickening and lateral displacement of the lettering elements, most readily apparent on the tall vertical strokes of letters like L, T, and I in the inscriptions. Three die stages have been documented for this die pair. Stage A represents the early die state, with both the reverse and obverse showing fresh die characteristics. Stage B shows both dies at mid-die state, where initial die polish marks have worn and minor flow lines have developed. Stage C, the late die state, remains unconfirmed and awaits identification from submitted specimens. The 1963 Franklin half dollar was the final year of the Franklin design before the Kennedy half dollar debuted in 1964, giving die varieties from this terminal year added numismatic significance. Philadelphia struck 22.164 million half dollars in 1963. Because Franklin half dollars were heavily saved by roll collectors during this period, high-grade examples of DDR-002 occasionally surface from original bank-wrapped rolls.

Die Markers

• UVC-212
• DMR-017
• Stage A:
• Reverse and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• Reverse and Obverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References