1964 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-009

Description

Ninth in the obverse doubled die census for the 1964 Kennedy half dollar, DDO-009 exhibits light triple spread on IN GOD WE TRUST, with doubling also visible on the Y of LIBERTY and the date — indicating this die received at least three hub impressions at slightly different alignments, producing a layered triple image on the motto inscription. VarietyVista cataloged this variety under UVC-014 and DMR-014, tracking three die stages: Stage A where both obverse and reverse surfaces exhibit early die state, Stage B at mid die state, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The EDS and MDS confirmations for Stages A and B provide documented progression points for die state tracking. The comments identify this as a proof variety with ODV-002/RDV-001 (Straight G) designations — indicating the obverse carries Design Variant 002, the reverse carries Design Variant 001 with the distinctive Straight G characteristic in the designer's initials, and the die was used exclusively for proof production at Philadelphia. The 1964 Kennedy half dollar holds profound significance as the first year of Gilroy Roberts' obverse portrait and Frank Gasparro's heraldic eagle reverse, issued in the immediate aftermath of President Kennedy's November 1963 assassination. Proof production in 1964 reached approximately 3.95 million sets, the highest in the series' early history. Light triple spread produces a subtle but confirmable three-layer effect on IN GOD WE TRUST where three slightly displaced impressions overlap, creating a more complex diagnostic pattern than standard two-impression doubling. Collectors should examine the motto inscription under 15-20x magnification on proof surfaces, where the mirror fields provide high contrast that makes even light spread more visible than on business strikes.

Die Markers

• UVC-014
• DMR-014
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Unknown
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References