1968-D Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-009

Description

Extending the 1968-D Kennedy Half Dollar DDR catalog to nine entries, WDDR-009 documents yet another instance of hub misalignment during the massive die production required for Denver's 246,951,930 silver-clad half dollar output. Cross-referenced as Wexler Variety ID 1968-D 50¢ WDDR-009, this Wexler Team attribution represents the largest sequential DDR number cataloged for the 1968-D date, establishing the current boundary of documented reverse hub doubling for this date-mint combination. The 1968 Denver Kennedy Half Dollar holds a special place in the silver-clad series: it was struck in 40% silver, a composition that would continue for only two more years before the full clad transition in 1971. Each of the nine DDR varieties for 1968-D represents a separate working die where hub-to-die alignment deviated during manufacture — nine independent manufacturing events across the hundreds of reverse dies produced for the year's production run. Gasparro's heraldic eagle reverse, with its intricate feather detail, thirteen-stripe shield, arrow bundle, and olive branch, provides the design complexity necessary for nine distinct varieties to be differentiated from one another. Collectors pursuing a complete 1968-D DDR set face the challenge of locating and authenticating nine separate die marriages from a date that, while high-mintage, distributed these varieties across nearly 247 million coins — making any individual variety a small fraction of total production.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1968-D 50¢ WDDR-009
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References