Mintage Numbers For Extra Leaf Varieties 2004 Wisconsin State Quarter

I really wasn't putting forth the theory of a rogue employee messing with some dies based on any factual information. But, in agreement with morgans dad, the likelihood of the placement of the leaves or gouges leans far more towards the idea of being done with intent rather than some lucky, random strike. The analysis of images seems to me to be more along the line of the 'angels in clouds.' I can, for example, stare at Lincoln's image on the LMC long enough so that it begins to closely resemble my former mother-in-law. Not an exact likeness, mind you, but pretty close. It's scary. The same may be true with the designed shape of that portion of Washington's hair. It seems close in size and shape but I also not some differences in the detail of the lines. And, more germane, there is nothing to lead to an explanation as to how that shape would have been repositioned, twice no less, to appear as if it were a part of another part of the overall design.

Please keep the theories coming. All are interesting to explore. And thanks to all for the explanation of the falling values.

Just to play a little with the positioning portion of this. Master hubs are used to make master dies.

Lets say an obverse master hub was being used to impress a master die. Lets say that the die was improperly set up to receive the hubbing. Keeping in mind that the die face is conical before it is pressed by a hub, it is possible for a die to have been placed in a hubbing press in such away that the back of Washington's head could have contacted the die at just about any point, adding an impression of the hair curl at the back of the head to an unusual point on what was to be a master die.

Let's say that the incorrect placement of the die was noticed and the die was removed from the press.

Maybe some rookie employee then , somewhere down the line used the partially impressed obverse master die to create a fully impressed reverse master die.

The hair could result in a leaf like structure that is visible as what we call an extra leaf.

I can't say how likely it is but understanding the process of making master dies makes this a possible scenario. BUT...who knows!

Thanks.

I also agree with hockingzig that how the additional features came into being is really irrelevant, and that what makes a coin collectible and value depends, in the end, on what one likes.

What I do find interesting, as well, is how much passion such a topic has revealed in some of the posts, including mine. Where did THAT come from? Thanks again to all for your input and passions. That's what makes this place great.

In my teens, when I first started collecting coins I thought it would be cool to have a Red Book listed variety. For the most part, the limited varieties included in the Red Book were for coins out of my price range. So as a youngster, I never did manage to own one.

In recent years, after getting into variety hunting and error coin collecting, I have zillions of variety coins -- most so microscopic as to be scoffed at even by some in the hobby. But I do own one Red Book variety now -- and that is the 2004 WI "Extra Leaf (Low)" quarter. I'd seen images on the internet for quite some time and it looked like a nice bold variety. When the hype died down and prices got to my liking, I picked up an AU example for under $40. In hand, I must say that it is the most impressive die variety coin that I own. It is very visible to the naked eye -- and dare I say... the name/label given to this variety fits perfectly. I am quite happy with the purchase and consider it a prize in my collection.

I've followed prices on ebay for some time. Yes - prices dropped significantly and I do feel for those who paid excessive prices during the hype. But from what I see, the prices for lower grades and unslabbed examples have remained pretty steady over the past 2 years. I still have not yet found the high-leaf example for a price I want to pay. So dispite what some say, I think this will remain a sought after variety simply because it is a Red Book variety and it is bold enough to be of interest to DV hobbiests and regular coin collectors. But given that so many of these were found in mint state, I think the prices asked for MS64+ examples are higher than what they should be. Like the 1950D nickel, it should retain a premium market value -- but value increases from grade to grade should be fairly flat. Based on current prices, they are not - so I would expect a continued drop in prices overall.

I'm not sure that overall mintage will have much to do its popularity. I think there will always be a demand. I would not bet on it as an investment for the future. But it is a fun coin to have. An affordable RedBook variety is fine with me, anyway.

Bill, I couldn't agree with you more! In my last post I was simply making the point that to most collectors, the reason for the thing on the coin is not so important as the way it looks and/or affects value. I am in your camp 100% and am always looking to understand the"why and how" but many folks only want the object.