Minnesota variety count leaps to 28

Since the last installment of this series featuring doubled dies found on the 2005-P and 2005-D Minnesota quarters (Aug. 29 issue), a whopping 17 more varieties have been found!

This brings the total number of Minnesota quarter doubled die varieties to 28, and who knows what will come in by next week.

Fifteen of the newest confirmed finds have been on the Philadelphia issue (bringing it to a total of 25) while two were reported for Denver (for a total of three). One of the Denver issues was found in a government-issued set, the second so far for that Mint.

New Philadelphia finds

Starting with the Philadelphia issues, the first new variety is designated as DDR#11. It looks like a snowball to the east of the third full tree to the right of the state outline (hereafter referred to as the ?primary tree)? along with some faint doubling to the north of the ?ball.? Exactly what this represents is in need of more study but it is presumed to be a portion of the tree to its left and has been accepted by all the known doubled die attributers as representing hub doubling. It was submitted by Richard Milauskas on Aug. 8, 2006.

The next variety is listed as DDR#12 and was sent in by Colleen Prebish and Richard Helbig on Aug. 15. Doubling is seen as high points from the primary tree floating free in the field and represents one of the more dramatic specimens send in so far.

DDR#13 was also sent in by the Prebish-Helbig duo and shows doubling as high points from the primary tree floating free in the field to the right but tucked in very close to the primary tree.

An early die state specimen of DDR#14 was submitted by Robert H. Neff on Aug. 10. Doubling is seen as one of the high points from the tree up to the ?NE? and as a ?hook? above. The ?hook? is stronger on the earlier die state than on later die states. Prebish and Helbig sent in a later die state on Aug. 15.

Early and late stages of DDR#15 were submitted independently by John Wexler and me, respectively. Doubling is seen as the highest relief areas of the upper section of the rock to the right of the primary tree with the doubling shifted wide north. This is the first of the varieties that involves doubling from something other than the primary tree but as we shall see, it will not be the last.

Wexler?s specimen was submitted on Aug. 23 while I found the later stage on Aug. 26. These two stages shown together is a perfect example or just how much detail can be lost from an area of design as the die is used and/or routinely stoned or otherwise dressed out with abrasives by the Mint.

David Serbonich reported DDR#16 on Aug. 18. Doubling is seen on this variety as the highest relief areas of the rock to the right of the primary tree shifted north but nearly as high north as DDR#15.

DDR#17 involves a branch of tree snuggled in close to right side of the primary tree. It is similar to DDR#9 (shown in an earlier installment) and DDR#13 but distinctly different. While it appears almost attached, under high magnification we can see that it is actually 90 percent separated from the main tree with just a slight attachment at the top. Serbonich also sent this one in on Aug. 18.

Another Serbonich find, DDR#18, is similar to DDR#9, DDR#13 and DDR#17, but clearly different. There is also some doubling on the west side of the primary tree pointed out by the arrow in the first photograph. The second photo was shot to show the doubling on the right side of the tree to best advantage. This is the first of many varieties with distinct doubling on both sides of the tree on the same coin.

Not to be outdone, Serbonich also submitted DDR#19. Like DDR#9, DDR#13, DDR#17 and DDR#18, it is similar but clearly different.

DDR#20 involves a portion of the primary tree with the doubling fully displaced from its point of origin out in the field. It is very light and an earlier die stage may show more. Serbonich submitted this one, too.

DDR#21 involves a teardrop-shaped section of a branch from the primary tree positioned to the east tucked in close but fully separated from the tree. Helbig submitted it on Aug. 26.

DDR#22 involves a portion of the primary tree with the doubling showing low to the left side of the tree as pointed out by the two arrows. Clayton Quirk reported this one on Aug. 17.

DDR#23 involves a portion of a branch from the primary tree with the doubling showing low to the left side. It was submitted by Prebish on Aug. 8.

DDR#24 again involves the rock to the east of the primary tree with the two highest areas of relief above and below each other from the right side of the top of the rock doubled way out in the field to the west as pointed out with a black arrow. The red arrow points to the area of origin of the doubling. Donald W. Helms reported this one on Aug. 3.

Like DDR#24, DDR#25 involves two high points in the relief of the top of the rock but instead of being the two high areas above and below each other from the right side of the rock it is the two highest relief curves in front of and behind each other. Hilbig and Prebish sent this in on Aug. 15.

New Denver finds

The latest Denver variety is reported by John Wexler. This coin represents the first and only one submitted on a business strike from Denver so far. It is listed as DDR#2 and displays a doubled limb from the primary tree displaced over to its lower right side.

The final submission for this week comes from Steve Bernatowicz on a piece found in a government-issued Uncirculated Set (commonly called the mint set). Listed as DDR#3, it involves a portion of a tree to the left of the primary tree with the doubling fully displaced from its point of origin and tucked in next to the full tree. It is less complete and further west than DDR#1, but still way out there further in the field than most of the Minnesota doubled dies making it one of the more interesting finds.

Location of doubling a key to attribution

The area of doubling on all the varieties reported thus far represents the virtual dead center of the coin?s design. This is an important key their attribution because specialists believe they are the result of tilted hubs that were seated into proper position during hubbing.

Tilted Hub Doubling restricted to such a small area of design within the center region of the die is possible due to the result of either of two related scenarios:

It must be understood that the face of a die blank (referred to as a ?die block? in Mint jargon) is machined with a slightly conical configuration to aid in the flow of metal during hubbing. This would indicate that the initial kiss of a hub into a die blank would be restricted to this centralized area before continuing on to fill out the rest of the design. During this process the tip of a titled die blank would be positioned slightly off location away from the center of the hub into a different area of design than intended and thus the misplaced area of doubling on the affected die.

With these Minnesota quarters we are well into the single-squeeze hubbing era, so researchers feel that the doubling would have most likely occurred when a tilted hub/die seated into proper position within the single squeeze of the hub.

I suggest to readers that there could be many more doubled die varieties for the Minnesota state quarter just waiting to be found on Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco proofs. I ask that any new varieties be reported to me for a follow-up article.

Listings covered in earlier installments of this series can be found online at www.koinpro.com.

Ken Potter is the official attributer of world doubled dies for the Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America and for the National Collectors Association of Die Doubling. He also privately lists other collectible variety types on both U.S. and world coins in the Variety Coin Register.

More information on either of the clubs or how to get a coin listed in the Variety Coin Register may be obtained by sending a long, self- addressed envelope with 60 cents postage to P.O. Box 760232, Lathrup Village, MI 48076, or by contacting him via e-mail at address kpotter256@aol.com.

An educational image gallery may be viewed on his Web site at www.koinpro.com.