1971 Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-001

Description

Cataloged by the Wexler Team as Wexler Variety ID 1971 50c WDDO-001, this doubled die obverse holds the primary catalog position for obverse hub doubling on the 1971 Kennedy Half Dollar, establishing it as either the first documented or most prominent DDO for this date. The WDDO-001 designation indicates a misalignment occurred during the die hubbing process that created visible doubling on the obverse design elements of Gilroy Roberts' Kennedy portrait — the working die received at least two hub impressions that were not perfectly aligned, transferring a slightly offset secondary image of the obverse design onto the die face. The 1971 Kennedy Half Dollar marks the beginning of a new era in the series: it was the first year that the half dollar was struck in copper-nickel clad composition for circulation, following the 1965-1970 period when the denomination carried a reduced 40% silver content. The full copper-nickel clad composition (outer layers of 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded to a pure copper core) brings the coin to 11.34 grams with a 30.6 mm diameter. The Kennedy Half Dollar series was created in rapid response to President Kennedy's assassination in November 1963, with Roberts' portrait adapted from the presidential medal he had designed. The 1971 date is particularly significant in the doubled die variety landscape because it also produced the famous 1971-D DDO-004 (FS-101) listed in the Cherrypickers' Guide, making the entire 1971 production year a focal point for variety collectors examining Kennedy Half Dollars. No additional cross-references beyond the Wexler listing have been documented for this variety.

Attribution History

• Wexler Variety ID: 1971 50¢ WDDO-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References