1971-D Doubled Die Obverse DDO-003

Description

Medium spread on IN GOD WE TRUST, the date, and LIBERTY identifies this third doubled die obverse for the 1971-D Kennedy Half Dollar. VarietyVista cataloged the variety with die markers UVC-172 and DMR-005, recording three die stages: Stage A at early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B with obverse and reverse at mid-die state, and Stage C with obverse and reverse at late die state. The 1971-D holds special significance as the first year of exclusively copper-nickel clad composition for regular-issue Kennedy Half Dollars — the 40% silver composition used from 1965 through 1970 was discontinued, establishing the clad-only era that continues to this day. Gilroy Roberts' obverse portrait of President John F. Kennedy provided the IN GOD WE TRUST motto, LIBERTY inscription, and date that exhibit the medium-spread doubling on this variety. The Denver Mint struck clad halves using a 75% copper and 25% nickel outer layer bonded over a pure copper core, and the transition to this new metallurgy coincided with continued demand for half dollar production. Three documented DDOs for the first clad-only Kennedy Half reflects the systematic research that variety specialists have applied to this historically transitional date, documenting hub anomalies across the shift from precious metal to base-metal composition.

Die Markers

• UVC-172
• DMR-005
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Ed Raser
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References