The 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse is an extremely desirable variety having an estimated population of 40 to 50 pieces based on combined certification service statistics. Our estimate might be a little too high as the experts at PCGS CoinFacts opine "about 30 known." The doubling on this variety is very dramatic, fully matching the spectacular appearance of the well-known 1955 and 1972 Doubled Die Obverse varieties, but in the case of the 1969-S, perhaps 100 times rarer. (The doubling is also as dramatic as that on the even rarer 1958 Doubled Die Obverse). Quoting from Fivaz and Stanton's Cherrypickers' Guide: "The publicity this coin has received over its lifetime has been enormous, hence the very high values, which are well deserved." According to Breen, the variety was independently reported by two collectors in June and July of 1970.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the March 2018 Baltimore Auction, where it realized $126,000.