Proof examples join Minnesota quarter varieties

Since the last update on doubled dies found on Minnesota quarters, 15 more varieties have been added to the list!

Fourteen of the newest finds are on the Philadelphia issue (bringing it to a total of 39) while our 15th variety added to this week?s list is the very first find on a 2005-S proof coin.

At this point it appears that most or all of the more major doubled die reverses for this series have been found. What is coming in now are what I?d refer to as predominantly ?lesser varieties.? Still, they are what they are and on eBay they are still bringing strong bids (ranging from $15 to $50 for the ones I saw during one check) for what is costing most folks little more than a quarter to find!

I might mention here that from what I have been advised by some sellers, the more major varieties have peaked in price and have been sliding downward. For those who wanted one at a more reasonable price, what was once as high as $500+ for a DDR#1 (for example) can now sometimes be found for $150.

San Francisco proof issue
DDR#1 from San Francisco represents what might be the most revealing find of all of these newest listings! This is the first doubled die found on a proof issue of the Minnesota quarter. It involves a portion of the third full tree to the right of the state outline, with the doubling fully displaced from its point of origin out in the field close to the tree. It was found on a clad coin by Brett Yollis on Aug. 28. Image courtesy of John Wexler.

Added Philadephia finds
The first of the newest Minnesota doubled die varieties from Philadelphia is designated as DDR#26. This one displays a teardrop-shaped area of the third full tree to the right of the state outline (hereafter referred to as the ?primary tree?) between the primary tree and rock to the right. It was submitted by Clayton Quirk, Ken Olson and Neil Hedin (working as a team) Aug. 23.

DDR#27 was also sent in by the above trio. This one involves a portion of the primary tree with the doubling fully displaced from its point of origin out in the field close to the tree but further than DDR#21. The photo here is courtesy of John Wexler.

DDR#28 appears as a portion of the primary tree showing on the left side of the tree as pointed out by the arrow. The trio noted above sent it in.

DDR#29 displays a teardrop-shaped area of the primary tree between the tree and rock. It is similar to several others but the positioning is different. John Wexler and I found this variety independently on Aug. 26.

DDR#30 displays a teardrop-shaped area of the primary tree to the right. It is similar to several others but the positioning is higher than any listed previously. There are also a couple traces of what is probably doubling to the SE of the teardrop. I reported this one on Aug. 26.

DDR#31 displays another teardrop-shaped area of the primary tree to the right. It is similar to several others but the positioning is higher than any listed previously except DDR#30. Gerald Fishman reported it Aug. 26.

DDR#32 displays an extra branch on the lower right of the primary tree. Other examples of a later die state coin that look similar may be the same as this one but they are not attributable at the time due to a proliferation of die scrapes, making it impossible to distinguish the possible doubling from the die scrapes. Donald Helms reported this one on Aug. 28.

DDR#33 displays an extra section of the primary tree with the doubling directly north of the point of origin as pointed out by our arrow. This coin was found in a government-issued mint set (uncirculated set) and exhibits the satin finish characteristic to those coins. Lee C. Lydston reported it on Aug. 30.

DDR#34 displays doubling on the upper right side of the primary tree as a wide spread between images of the upper branches as shown by the arrows. John Wexler reported this on on Aug. 26. Image courtesy of John Wexler.

DDR#35 displays doubling on the upper right side of the primary tree out in field. It is quite distinguishable from others in location and appearance. John Wexler reported this on on Aug. 26. Image courtesy of John Wexler.

DDR#36 exhibits a bit of doubling on the to the right of the primary tree. Bob Piazza sent it in on Aug. 30.

DDR#37 shows an ?extra branch? on the lower left side of the primary tree. The location and shape of this one makes it very distinguishable from the other varieties. Robert H. Neff reported it on Aug. 30.

DDR#38 involves a portion of the primary tree with the doubling fully displaced from its point of origin. The doubling is snuggled in close to the right side of the tree similar to DDR#9, #13, #17, #18 and #19 but is clearly different. It exhibits a satin finish diagnostic of a coin taken from a government-issued mint set and is presumed to taken from such a set. ANACS submitted the coin on Sept. 1.

DDR#39 involves the two highest areas of relief from the top of the rock to the right of the primary tree. It is very similar to DDR#24, but under close examination one can see the curves are different. The die markers are also distinctly different.

More new reports coming
The first proof listing opens up the door for the possibility that folks will start checking them more closely and we have some more major discoveries to follow! At the time of this writing, reports of more proof doubled dies are on the way (or in the mail bag).

We also have our first Minnesota doubled die obverse! It came in too late to include here, but it will be featured in a future installment of this series.

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:

1) The hub is backed off after the initial kiss of the hub into a tilted die blank and is then reset properly and hubbed again.

2) The hub and die blank are titled in relation to each other and are then forced to seat into proper position by hubbing pressure within a split second after the initial kiss of the hub into the tip of the die blank.

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.

I suggest to readers that there could be many more doubled die varieties for the Minnesota state quarter just waiting to be found. Please report any new finds to me for a follow-up article. Listings covered in earlier installments of this series can be found online at my Web site, 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.