1970-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-002

Description

Light spread visible on all the stars in the circle and the letters of AMERICA, with some close tripling, characterizes this 1970-S Kennedy Half Dollar proof doubled die reverse. Cataloged with UVC-366 and DMR-009 in the VarietyVista system, DDR-002 has three documented die states tracking the reverse die's progression. Stage A shows a small vertical die gouge on the rim above the N of UNITED with both reverse and obverse in early die state (EDS). Stage B records both reverse and obverse remaining in EDS. Stage C represents late die state (LDS), though it remains unconfirmed. The 1970-S is the terminal date for the 40% silver clad Kennedy Half Dollar proof series — the last year this transitional silver composition was used before the shift to copper-nickel clad proof production in 1971. This makes every 1970-S proof variety a final-year-of-type collectible, carrying added significance for series specialists. The proof striking process — multiple impressions on polished planchets using polished dies — produces mirror-like fields that make die doubling especially visible and attributable. Designated as RDV-003 for the reverse die variety, this coin pairs with a machine-doubled obverse (noted in comments as "Proof. RDV-003."). The tripling — three distinct impressions on some design elements — indicates that the hub was impressed into the working die at least three times with slight misalignment between each impression, a less common and more visually complex form of hub doubling than standard two-impression doubling.

Die Markers

• UVC-366
• DMR-009
• Stage A:
• Small vertical die gouge on rim above N of UNITED – EDS
• Obverse is EDS
• Stage B:
• Reverse and and Obverse are EDS
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Larry Nienaber
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References