1972-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-001

Description

Documented by VarietyVista with die markers UVC-205 and DMR-004, DDR-001 on the 1972-S Kennedy Half Dollar presents light triple spread on stars from K-3 to K-7 (the third through seventh heraldic stars in the reverse constellation) and the R of AMERICA, combined with light double spread on DOLLAR, the designer's initials, and the arrows in the heraldic eagle's talon. Three die stages are tracked: Stage A shows both reverse and obverse in Early Die State; Stage B (MDS) and Stage C (LDS) remain unconfirmed. The triple spread on the stars — where three distinct hub impressions are detectable — represents a less common manifestation than standard doubling, requiring the die to have received at least three non-aligned impressions during manufacture. The K-3 through K-7 notation uses the Kennedy Half Dollar's standard star numbering system to specify exactly which five of the thirteen heraldic stars show tripling, providing precise positional diagnostics. The simultaneous presence of tripled stars and doubled DOLLAR, initials, and arrows reveals a complex hub history where three impressions affected some areas while only two produced detectable doubling on others, possibly due to one impression's alignment being close enough to a neighbor to merge visibly in some zones but not others. The 1972-S Kennedy Half Dollar was struck at the San Francisco Mint in copper-nickel clad at 11.34 grams with a 30.6 mm diameter. As DDR-001, this holds the primary reverse catalog position for the 1972-S issue. Gilroy Roberts' obverse and Frank Gasparro's heraldic eagle reverse compose this design, with the stars and arrows where tripling and doubling manifest positioned around the eagle's upper and lower regions respectively.

Die Markers

• UVC-205
• DMR-004
• Stage A:
• Reverse and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References