1964 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-016

Description

Struck in the inaugural year of Gilroy Roberts and Frank Gasparro's Kennedy Half Dollar design — introduced as a tribute to President John F. Kennedy following his assassination in November 1963 — DDO-016 displays a light triple spread on the TY of LIBERTY, the hair under the R of LIBERTY, and the ST of TRUST. Triple spread means three distinct hub impressions are detectable, each slightly displaced from the others, creating two layers of secondary images alongside the primary design. This die pair is designated ODV-002/RDV-002, the Flared G obverse and reverse design variety, indicating specific hub characteristics that distinguish it from the standard ODV-001/RDV-001 pairing. Die markers include UVC-021 and DMR-021. Four die stages track the die's service life: Stage A at Early Die State is unconfirmed, Stage B at Early-to-Mid Die State develops light north-south die scratches on both obverse and reverse, Stage C at Mid Die State is unconfirmed, and Stage D at Late Die State awaits confirmation. The 1964 Kennedy Half was struck at Philadelphia in 90% silver, the only year of full silver composition before the reduction to 40% silver in 1965.

Die Markers

• UVC-021
• DMR-021
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Light die scratches North-South on Obverse – EMDS
• Light die scratches on Reverse – EMDS
• Stage C:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage D:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Randy True
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References