1973-S Doubled Die Reverse DDR-004

Description

Fourth in the reverse doubled die census for the 1973-S Eisenhower dollar proof, DDR-004 delivers medium spread across all rim lettering, stars, craters, and E PLURIBUS UNUM — a comprehensively doubled reverse where the secondary hub impression displaced virtually every design element. The "equally strong over all the Reverse" notation indicates uniform displacement rather than the localized doubling that characterizes many hub-doubled dies, suggesting a parallel shift between hub impressions that maintained consistent magnitude across the entire die face. Frank Gasparro designed the Eisenhower dollar reverse featuring an eagle landing on the moon with Earth visible above and olive branch below, commemorating the Apollo 11 lunar landing of 1969. VarietyVista assigned identifiers UVC-136 and DMR-012, documenting three die stages: Stage A where both reverse and obverse surfaces are at early die state, Stage B at mid die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C at late die state (unconfirmed). The EDS confirmation for Stage A ensures specimens exist with fresh die surfaces preserving the doubling at maximum sharpness. The comments identify this as a copper-nickel proof (CN Proof), struck at San Francisco with polished dies and specially prepared copper-nickel clad planchets. The 1973 proof set mintage of approximately 2.76 million sets limits the maximum population, and the proof surface — with mirror fields and frosted devices — provides ideal contrast for detecting the medium spread across the lunar surface craters and inscription elements. Medium spread classification means the doubling is clearly detectable under moderate magnification, and the comprehensive nature of the displacement across all reverse elements provides multiple confirmation points. Collectors should examine the stars and E PLURIBUS UNUM under 10-15x magnification, where the medium spread creates visible secondary impressions alongside the primary design elements.

Die Markers

• UVC-136
• DMR-012
• Stage A:
• Reverse and Obverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• MDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by ANACS
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References