1967 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-016

Description

Sixteenth in the obverse doubled die census for the 1967 Kennedy half dollar, DDO-016 presents a particularly complex variety: medium triple spread affecting IN GOD WE TRUST, the date, LIBERTY, and the hair detail directly under the R of LIBERTY on Gilroy Roberts' Kennedy portrait. Triple spread indicates the working die received three distinct hub impressions that failed to align precisely, creating two secondary images displaced from the primary — a more unusual phenomenon than standard doubled dies that involve only two impressions. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-427 and DMR-029, documenting three die stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B where both obverse and reverse surfaces show mid die state characteristics, and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The "BS" comment notation in the source data indicates this die was used for business strike production. The 1967 Kennedy half dollar was struck in 40% silver-clad composition — part of the transitional period between the 90% silver 1964 issue and the eventual switch to copper-nickel clad in 1971. No mintmarks appeared on coins from 1965 through 1967 as the Mint sought to discourage hoarding during the nationwide coin shortage. Total half dollar production across all facilities in 1967 reached approximately 295.0 million pieces. The medium spread classification across four distinct design areas — motto, date, LIBERTY, and hair detail — demonstrates that the hub displacement influenced a broad swath of the obverse die rather than a localized zone. The hair under the R of LIBERTY, where the detailed strands of Kennedy's coiffure provide fine parallel lines, is an area where triple spread can produce a strikingly complex pattern of overlapping impressions visible under 10-15x magnification.

Die Markers

• UVC-427
• DMR-029
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References