1968-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-008

Description

First proof Kennedy Half Dollar struck at San Francisco after the 1965-67 hiatus, the 1968-S DDR-008 exhibits light spread on all reverse lettering and stars around the rim, manifesting mostly as notched lower-left serifs — a distinctive presentation where the doubled contour clips each serif corner rather than creating full secondary outlines. Cataloged by VarietyVista with UVC-447 and DMR-014, the reverse die is classified as RDV-003. Stage A represents Early Die State where both reverse and obverse are in early condition. Proof striking at San Francisco used polished dies and planchets with multiple impressions, amplifying even light hub doubling against mirror fields. The 1968-S was the first San Francisco proof since the Mint suspended proof production in 1965, and Kennedy Half Dollars had transitioned from 90% silver (1964) to 40% silver-clad by this date. Roberts' Kennedy obverse and Gasparro's Presidential Seal reverse were in the design's fifth year, struck at 30.6mm. Inspect all reverse lettering and stars for notched lower-left serifs indicating light spread across the rim elements.

Die Markers

• UVC-447
• DMR-014
• Stage A:
• Reverse and and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References