1968-S Doubled Die Reverse WDDR-005

Description

Fifth in the sequence of documented doubled die reverse varieties for the 1968-S proof Kennedy half dollar, WDDR-005 adds to the robust census of proof DDR discoveries from the first year that San Francisco resumed proof production after the 1965-67 Special Mint Set hiatus. The Wexler Team attributed this variety as 1968-S 50¢ Pr WDDR-005, with no additional cross-references established in CONECA or other cataloging systems, and no die markers were recorded for either the obverse or the reverse. The absence of die markers means that attribution depends entirely on matching the doubling characteristics -- location, spread direction, and intensity across specific design elements -- to the Wexler Team's published photographic diagnostics. San Francisco struck 3,041,506 proof sets in 1968, and the Kennedy half dollar was one of five denominations included in each set, meaning the maximum possible population for any given proof DDR variety is bounded by that production figure (and in practice is much smaller, as each variety represents output from a single die pair). Frank Gasparro's heraldic eagle reverse design, adapted from the Great Seal of the United States, features an eagle grasping arrows and an olive branch beneath a field of thirteen stars surrounded by a ring of fifty stars, providing a design surface rich with fine details that amplify hub doubling visibility. The 40% silver-clad composition of 1968 proof halves gives these coins intrinsic precious metal value alongside their numismatic and variety interest, making them a triple-appeal collectible.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1968-S 50¢ Pr WDDR-005
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References