The Wisconsin Variety Coins

The 2004 Wisconsin Variety Quarters have been a mystery.  Is it an error?  A variety?  What does the MINT say?  What do 'coin experts' say.

Here is an analysis, which ends up with an interesting conclusion.

In this guide, I will show both arguments, as well as the statement from the Mint, and my own cross-examination of both points of view, to sort through the facts and illusions.

Onward!

Experts have debated whether the 'extra leaf' on the quarter is a die gouge, or a variety coin.  Those are the only 2 possibilities up for consideration.........according to the experts.

If it is a die gouge, then it's not an error or a variety, according to the "rules of coin interpretation".  A gouge is damage done to a die which could happen any number of ways.  If it's a variety, then it is a normal Mint issue coin.  (It's important to remember that a 'normal mint issue coin' is just like the change in your pocket:  it is legal tender intended for daily commerce).  If you have coins in your pocket right now, each coin has hundreds of millions just like it that were minted for commerce.

This brings up the question:  What exactly are the 'rules of coin interpretation'?  As best I can tell in talking to 'coin people', there are only a certain amount of problems which can happen to a coin which in turn makes it different from all the rest.

There is a list of these problems in most coin books.  There are Cuds, Mules, Gouges, Doubled Die, Off Center, and quite a few more. 

So, what is the actual proof for the claim that the extra leaves are a die gouge?

The only 'expert' opinion stating the extra leaves are a die gouge is this-"It looks very much like a die gouge error to the trained eye." 

Individuals who are experts in analyzing error coins have seen a lot of die gouge errors over the decades.   That's why, some experts believe the Wisconsin extra leaf quarters are die-gouge errors......based on the way the extra leaf looks, and because it was not the original design.  But when you ask them about the rather large quantity which were produced, and the 'tight' inspection process at the Mint, they don't have any idea how this once in a lifetime event could have happened.     

BUT WAIT!!  The most compelling comment AGAINST A DIE GOUGE from these same experts is that.....

....the Wisconsin leaf gouges are extremely deep, "which is very rare in die gouge errors produced by the Mint."

Die gouges appear on coins in the form of raised ‘errors’ in assorted shapes and sizes and they are random in their position on the coin. If you 'google' die gouge coins, you will find many examples of die gouges.  Or just look for the 1890 CC Morgan Dollar Tailbar. 

A variety coin is a coin which has two or more designs created for it.  Normally, a coin will be minted for a short time, then a slight change will be made to it.  That is a typical variety coin.  Google that too, for more information.

Next up:  Are these quarters 'varieties'? 

If so, they would be the first varieties ever created in modern times without the knowledge of the US Mint!  A 'variety' is a coin such as all of the 50 state quarters....they are varieties of the Washington Quarter.   

For the record, the Mint has chosen not to divulge every detail that occurred when the extra leaf quarters were made.  They have no legal requirement to do so.  And, what the Mint is NOT saying, tells much of the story of how these quarters were produced!

Let’s hear what the Mint says....

According to the Mint, before going on a lunch break, a coin press operator shut down his/her press when he went on a lunch break.  Upon returning from lunch, the press was running... without an operator.  Granted, these presses are ‘automated’ and can actually ‘run’ by themselves unattended, but it’s against U.S. Mint policy.  In fact, the Mint requires each press to be monitored and maintained by Mint employees at all times.

The Mint also states it was during this lunch break that both the UP and LOW leaf coins were produced.  On the same coin press.  During a 90 minute lunch break.

Also, according to the Mint, 'so many coins were produced with the extra leaf, it would not have made sense to take the time to seperate all of them from the 'normal' quarters.

Every statement that the mint has made is "heresay".  They have nothing at all to support their comments:  No documentation, no employee comments, not even an 'eye-witness'. 

There's more:  The coins are stamped and spot checked numerous times each hour.  That is how most errors are caught and removed.  So, let's sum up to this point:  According to the Mint, not only was a press operator out for lunch, but while his/her press was running, there were NO coin inspections.

Going in chronological order, here’s what we have:  A press operator turns off the press.  Someone later turns it on.  During 90 minutes, TWO separate dies have produced both the UP and LOW leaf quarters.  We already know that the first gouge will not disappear ‘magically’ from the face of the die.   Therefore, when the second ‘gouge’ takes place, we SHOULD have a coin with two gouges.  But that didn’t happen.  There were 2 seperate dies used to make these coins...each having a gouge (or deliberate design)  in a seperate location on the die to produce the two Wisconsin variety coins.

Here is where we learn the truth about whether this is a 'gouge error' or a variety coin.

Mint employees who run this equipment are required to keep very detailed records on the production and maintenance of this equipment.  (Dies have a serial number on them, too, and when they are worn, cracked or have an error such as a gouge, they are removed and the face of the die is ground off so that it cannot be used again).  The entire life of a die is tracked from the time it’s made until it’s safely destroyed.

If the employee who turned off the press noticed a gouge, the employee would have to make a record for his/her supervisor of the date and approx. time the die was changed and why.  Also, the serial number of the die would be on record.  If this took place, the Mint would acknowledge that the first gouge was discovered, the die was replaced, and the press started up again. 

Second question…who changed the die?  The question is relevant, because of the detailed books and records maintained on each press, including number of impressions, number of die changes, who was running the press at what time, daily preventative maintenance records, and more.  But, for reasons the Mint does not want to say, there is no record of any die changes.  Remember, there had to be TWO die changes, one for each 'error'. 

Basically, there is NO ‘paper trail’ which shows a gouged die, or a variety die for that matter,  being removed and replaced, then removed and replaced a second time.  Finally, when a die is removed, it's face is ground off, and placed in storage. 

THE DIES WHICH PRODUCED THE ERROR COINS ARE NOT IN STORAGE.  THEY HAVE GONE MISSING!

That is the conclusive evidence we are looking for.

So, the only possible conclusion, according to what the US Mint and coin experts are saying is that the Wisconsin Quarters have 3 varieties:  Normal, High Leaf, Low Leaf.

Let's recap taking everything into context:

1.  It looks like a die gouge BUT, it's awfully deep and therefore a very RARE die gouge...which almost never happens according to 'coin experts'.

2.  Two different die gouges (very rare and deep)  produced several thousand coins.  Because of the fact that there are NOT two gouges per coin, then 2 die changes had to be made to produce these coins.  OR, if they were gouges, the die would have to be replaced TWICE, yet there's NO record of this!

3.  No record was made of the die changes, who changed them, who operated the press, why no entries were logged into the machine's shop records, etc.  There are NO SERIAL NUMBERS FOR THE DIES WHICH PRODUCED THE WISCONSIN ERROR LEAF QUARTERS.  The dies are also 'missing'. 

4.  The extra leaves, also known in coin terms as 'devices' are the same height (from the surface of the coin.....about 12/100ths of an inch) as the originally designed devices.  On BOTH varieties. On 99.9% of die gouges, the gouge is not the same height as the devices.

Whether it was authorized by the MINT or not does not matter.  The individual(s) who made the coins does not matter.  What matters is that the Mint attempts to minimize the fact that two different varieties were created.  The odds of 2 very rare-deep gouges happening within 90 minutes is exceedingly low, according to coin experts. 

This is not normal Mint procedure.  They know every detail of everything that is produced.  They have a monitoring system which records the activities on the production room floor.  The press operators and the presses themselves record everything.  The overhead cameras record everything. 

Let's move on, now that we've established that there were not two gouged dies responsible for producing 2 varieties of extra leaf quarters.

Wait a minute.  You say that's not enough proof?

O.K.  Final review:  Is it a variety coin?  If so, how do I prove that argument?

To begin, the 'experts' agree that both the high and low leaf gouges are extremely deep.  Gouges this deep are very rare in the history of mint errors.  AND, on top of that, they are very few in number. 

One point for Variety.

What are the odds of 2 dies, with 'historic' deep gouges, being produced on a single press, within 90 minutes, over the entire course of Mint history, with no record of die changes being made happening?

The answer is:  it's never happened before.  That is a major statement against a gouge, due to the rarity and almost unheard of depth of the extra leaves. 

Two points for Variety

Second:  the placement and dimensional characteristics of the extra leaves conform to the original overall design.  The extra leaves 'fit' the design element of the cornstalk. 

And, when one compares the heighth (around .012") of the original leaves and then compares the heighth of the 'extra leaves'  they are virtually identical. 

Also, the design on any coin is beveled, which means that the heighth of the devices/design varies...on purpose.

The devices on the extra leaves are also beveled, the same as the originally designed devices.  Both varieties are 'lower' near the tip of their leaf than elsewhere.  The low leaf variety was also given the 'variegated' leaf design which matches the other leaves on the corn stalk. 

Three points for Variety.

What’s the value of a Mint Error variety coin?  This is a supply and demand question.  First, there are about 10,000 certified coins, and possibly an equal number of non graded Wisconsin variety quarters.  So, lets use 20,000 as an example.  (The Mint states that the typical die produces 50,000 coins, but they kept NO records of these two varieties.)  I am using actual published numbers by the 3 largest coin grading companies for this estimate.

The answer is quite simple:  What is the value of ANY Mintage of ANY coin in the history of the US Mint with a population of only 15,000?  Answer:  No one knows, because it's never happened before in the modern history of coinage in the United States! 

To produce a mintage of 15,000 without a doubt makes them one of the rarest coins minted in modern times! 

If the US Mint were to state:  "We are running a limited production of 15,000 variety 2004 D Wisconsin quarters with an extra leaf on them for general circulation", there would be an absolute stampede by folks trying to get their hands on one.  The price would be much higher than the current prices of around $300-$1,000 each.

Guess what:  The Mint actually did something like this in the past.

One example is the 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter.  Only 52,000 were minted.  An uncirculated one in the lowest grade will cost you $18,000.

Bottom Line:  Based on all the pieces of knowledge we have...when we 'connect the dots', they all point to 'variety'.    Either the coins were made with full knowledge of someone, or the Mint has made one of the largest mistakes in their history. 

Who or why doesn’t really matter.  From the beginning it's always been a question of gouge versus variety. 

What about the Mint response:  Their response gives no professional numismatic opinion.

There are many reasons why this coin could have been made, but no need to speculate.  Just look at the evidence in front of us, and it's pretty clear that all data points to the 2004 D Wisconsin State Quarter being a 'Variety' coin of historic LOW MINTAGE.

The 3rd party coin grading companies, PCGS, NGC, etc. also agree that this is NOT an error but a 'variety'.....of extremely LOW mintage. Just like the 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter.

One final comment:  Technically, one could say the extra leaf is a gouge which in turn produced the variety coins....BUT, the reason it's NOT a gouge is the very fact that a gouge is a damaged die which is discovered almost immediately and the press is quickly shut down...and the gouged coins are destroyed in a process known as waffling.  Few gouged coins make it into circulation.

The number of Minnesota 'extra tree' die gouge coins graded to date Jan, 2008 is 1,464.  Wisconsin Error Leafs is 5,749.  BUT, of more interest, there is NO listing of the Minnesota extra tree in the PCGS Price Guide to coins.  You can look on their website to see for yourself!

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