Opinions on the extra leafs by those who actually have them in hand?

pharmer

I'm curious, now that you have them in hand and presumably have looked at them under magnification, do you think they are design variations or accidental gouges on two working dies? They look like leaf designs to me. No cheating by those who have not seen them in hand but have an opinion based solely upon images. And no cheating by those who have said they will not obtain them, we know who you are

lazeroo

I bought an ms 67 set from rick snow.

now that I have seen them I have to say they are intriguing.

at first look I thought they were intentionally made. but after hearing others i'm not so sure anymore.

they do look like added leafs and the high leaf would have more room for argument to being a die gouge.
but the low leaf looks just like a leaf. no it dosen't look like a die gouge and the only problem will be it
does run into the corn stalk like it was not placed properly.

still it is very cool.

BAJJERFAN

IMO the low leaf looks like it could belong there. Have not seen a high leaf in hand.

Bochiman

I've got both...raw...from Rick.
The high leaf...well, I could go with "die gouge" on that one if it weren't for the "lower leaf". That one looks too intentional.
I'm waiting for the conspiracy theories on them and how some made the first one, didn't like it, made the 2nd, someone at the mint didn't like it, so the "official" one was made and that is the normal one. But, that "somehow", a die of each of the originals were "accidentally" made/released before being caught.

Murphy

In looking at them under a microscope they look like they were intentionally made, because of the placement and shape. I mean what are the chances of a die gouge intersecting a corn stalk in the shape of a corn leaf exactly where one would normally be??? ...and happening twice!

Now look at these two photos I took of mine under magnification and I bounced some light off the bottom of each leaf. The top of the leaves are fairly smooth, but the bottoms are wavy. That's what makes me think they were intentionally made by someone in a hurry...someone wanting a good arching line, but not necessarily perfect ...someone who may not have been a master craftsman.

coppercoins

Is it just me or do I see two curves on one coin and one curve on the other coin, yet all three curves have the same shape? Perhaps there was some die damage going on at the mint from some sort of tool. At any rate, I've seen the coins, I've seen the pics, and I came to a 100% positive conclusion. Whatever those curves are, they are not intended parts of the design.

Murphy

The two lines of the Low Leaf look similar in that they are weakly struck towards the end of the leaf. The High Leaf variety is well struck all along its length. Don't know what that means, but thought I'd throw it in there.

I think they should get Las Vegas CSI out to the mint and find that sliver of metal if it exists. Also, get that new arm of the FBI on the case to interrogate the mint employees. I believe these professionals could at least come up with an entertaining TV show.

AgMe

Hello All,

I have had the opportunity to examine a complete set (all 3 varieties) in hand; (IMHO) they look like an intentional design.

-g

Shamika

Wait a minute! I just now noticed that in the low leaf variety, the extra leaf goes into and then through the much larger leaf that it resides next to. THIS IS NOT HOW IT SHOULD LOOK IF IT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AN EXTRA LEAF! However, a die gouge would endeed manifest itself in exactly this way. The larger leaf would lie in lower relief on the die and a gouge would cut into both sides of the leaf giving the appearance of an anomoly (the extra leaf) passing through.

Still, it's a cool variety.

AgMe

<< <i>Wait a minute! I just now noticed that in the low leaf variety, the extra leaf goes into and then through the much larger leaf that it resides next to. THIS IS NOT HOW IT SHOULD LOOK IF IT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AN EXTRA LEAF! However, a die gouge would endeed manifest itself in exactly this way. The larger leaf would lie in lower relief on the die and a gouge would cut into both sides of the leaf giving the appearance of an anomoly (the extra leaf) passing through.

Still, it's a cool variety. >>



Bad art, can still be art.

-g

BAJJERFAN

A die gouge that just happens to have the nice rounded features that an intentional design would have and not once but twice? Don't add up fer me.

windwhispersintrees

High "leaf"...perhaps dents/gouges caused by the end of a round piece of steel that chattered across the die's surface to create a leaf-like double arc?

errormaven

The high relief, clarity, and tight curvature of the two "extra leaves", along with their very similar positioning and conveniently camouflaged location next to the corn stalk might indicate that this is a case of creative vandalism.

Then again, if you were a mischief-maker, why would you vandalize two different dies, thereby doubling the chance that your creation would be detected early on, and ruining your chance at anonymous immortality?

They're die gouges, but it's impossible to say if they were intentional or accidental. The available evidence can be used to support either position.

pharmer

No, too difficult to do that to hardened working dies, much less with the precision to get the correct depth and shape and placement and detail. Die gouges don't look like that anyway, anyone who searches for varieties uses die gouges as markers and sees a lot of them. They never look like leaves or anything familiar. These are design variations that made it onto working dies.

Hiyosilver has an example of a true die gouge on a regular wisconsin that has the typical gouge appearance familiar to all, and posted it a couple weeks ago. Excellent refutation of the die gouge notion, and it almost touches the upper left husk, so the location is perfect for comparison to the leafs.