1968-S Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-004

Description

Exhibiting two distinct classes of hub doubling simultaneously — a rare phenomenon in die variety numismatics — the 1968-S Proof Kennedy Half Dollar WDDR-004 shows Class VI extra thickness on the stars in the circle and letters of USA and HALF DOLLAR, while a separate Class V clockwise spread from a pivot point at approximately 9:00 affects AMERICA and the R of DOLLAR. This dual-class doubling indicates the hub contacted the die at least twice with different displacement characteristics: one creating the center-pulling Class VI pattern and another producing the rotational Class V pivot spread. Designated by the Wexler Team with a large FG reverse die marker — Frank Gasparro's initials at the base of the eagle — the variety is cross-referenced as WDDR-004. No significant obverse markers have been noted. The 1968-S proof was struck during the first year of resumed proof production at San Francisco, on 40% silver-clad composition at 30.6mm — the Kennedy Half Dollar retained silver content through 1970 while other denominations had already transitioned to copper-nickel clad. The combination of two doubling classes on a single die makes this variety particularly interesting for students of the die manufacturing process, as it reveals that hub-to-die contact irregularities could produce multiple displacement types within the same hubbing sequence.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Brian Ribar Cross References: None known
• None known; Wexler Variety ID: 1968-S 50¢ Pr WDDR-004
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References