1973-D VRPM VRPM-002

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista with preliminary die marker codes (UVC and DMR pending final assignment), the 1973-D VRPM-002 Kennedy Half Dollar exhibits a D/D Southeast repunched mintmark — where the initial D mintmark punch was placed slightly northwest of its intended position, and the corrective second punch shifted the final D to the southeast, leaving remnants of the first impression visible to the northwest of the primary letter. The die state documentation lists Stage A with both obverse and reverse in early die state, Stage B as mid-die-state (unconfirmed), and Stage C as late die state (unconfirmed). Gilroy Roberts designed the Kennedy Half Dollar obverse, featuring President John F. Kennedy's portrait based on the Presidential Medal of Freedom design, while Frank Gasparro created the reverse depicting the Presidential Seal with its heraldic eagle, shield, and constellation of thirteen stars. The 1973-D was struck at the Denver Mint in copper-nickel clad composition — an outer layer of 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded to a pure copper core — weighing approximately 11.34 grams with a 30.6 mm diameter and a reeded edge. This clad composition had been standard for the Kennedy Half since 1971, following the transitional 40% silver period of 1965 through 1970. The southeast directional shift of the repunched mintmark documents the specific misalignment vector that occurred when the die engraver struck the D punch a second time to correct its position, and the two-letter overlay pattern creates a diagnostic that is most clearly visible under 10x magnification focused on the mintmark area below Kennedy's truncated bust on the obverse.

Die Markers

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

Attribution History

• Discovered by Alan Samuelman
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References