1972-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-001

Description

Holding the first position in the doubled die obverse catalog for the 1972-S proof Kennedy Half Dollar, DDO-001 exhibits light triple spread on IBER of LIBERTY along with doubling in the hair beneath the R of LIBERTY. The triple spread indicates at least two misaligned hub contacts, and the extension into hair detail below the lettering provides a secondary confirmation zone. VarietyVista catalogs this variety as UVC-203 and DMR-002, documenting three fully confirmed die stages: Stage A with both obverse and reverse in early die state, Stage B with both in mid-die-state, and Stage C capturing both in late die state — an unusually complete progression record. The obverse die is designated ODV-003, paired with reverse die RDV-004. Struck at San Francisco in copper-nickel clad, the 1972-S proof was produced exclusively for proof sets during the second year of clad proof production. As the inaugural DDO entry for this date, DDO-001 serves as the reference point against which subsequent obverse doubled dies are compared, and its three-stage progression offers valuable data on die deterioration across a complete service life.

Die Markers

• UVC-203
• DMR-002
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by James Wiles, confirmed as WH by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References