1976-S Doubled Die Obverse DDO-005

Description

This second catalog entry for the 1976-S Bicentennial quarter DDO-005 corresponds to the silver proof half dollar version of the same die variety designation, sharing the DDO-005 number within the Bicentennial coinage series. Medium spread on IN GOD, the throat, WE TRUST, and the dual date 1776-1976 characterizes this silver proof variety, cataloged by VarietyVista under UVC-567 and DMR-009 with identical die stage documentation to its quarter counterpart: Stage A in early die state, Stage B in early die state (unconfirmed), and Stage C in late die state (unconfirmed). The Bicentennial half dollar pairs Gilroy Roberts' Kennedy obverse (modified with the 1776-1976 dual date) with Seth Huntington's Independence Hall reverse design, creating a commemorative coin that saw wide circulation alongside the collector-targeted proof issues. San Francisco struck the 40% silver proof versions in limited quantities for special collector packaging, making die varieties from this production run inherently scarcer than those on the billions of clad Bicentennial halves produced at Philadelphia and Denver. The throat area involvement adds a portrait-specific diagnostic that inscription-only doubling would lack, as the curved contour of Kennedy's neck and jaw responds to hub misalignment differently than flat letter elements. Medium spread on the dual date provides the most accessible starting point for attribution, with the numerical characters' clean geometry clearly revealing secondary impressions under moderate magnification. The consistent UVC and DMR catalog numbers across both entries confirm the die identification framework spans the full Bicentennial series documentation.

Die Markers

• UVC-567
• DMR-009
• Stage A:
• Obverse and Reverse are EDS
• Stage B:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage C:
• LDS (unconfirmed)

Attribution History

• Discovered by Larry Nienaber
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References