2004-D WI .25 Extra Leaf Low & High ICG MS67 6 PC set Start Price USD 3,777.77 Current Price USD 3,777.77 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, July 16, 2008 End Time Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Location OUT WEST See more about '2004-D WI .25 Extra Leaf Low & High ICG MS67 6 PC set' Description 2004-D WI .25 Extra Leaf Low & High ICG MS67 6 PC set ICG 4 MS67 graded 2004-D Wisconsin Commemorative Statehood Quarter Extra Leaf Low (Down Leaf)Variety and Extra Leaf High (Up Leaf) Normal Wisconsin D & P Mints all 4 in Gem to Superb Gem Brilliant Uncirculated Mint State, ICG MS67 Condition Quality.  Also includes Both the Silver and Clad 2004-S Wisconsin quarters in Superb to Virtual perfection Ultra Deep Cameo, ICGS PR70 DCAM condition Quality! Please feel free to submit respectable offers on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or all 6 coins or on any of our listings, however!,.... We only give serious consideration to respectable offers! Please do not waste time with low ball ridiculous offers! These 6 coins have been encapsulated, slabbed and graded MS MS67 on the 4 business strike issues and PR70 DCAM on the 2 Proof issues! by ICG! The ICG holders denote that they are part of a 6 piece set! They come in a very nice Black velvet case/Box that is not illustrated!  The quality of the ICG MS67 most often surpasses the quality of NGC MS67 and NGC MS68 graded counter parts!  The Extra Leaf High coin is especially nice and may even cross over at PCGS!  ICG grading is a distant second to PCGS on the Wisconsin Extra Leaf Quarters yet it is consistently the closest! with ANACS as an even further distant 3rd and NGC as an even further very distant 4th! for any of you that care this is one of my key specialties and my grading skills rival and surpass most of the modern graders working at the top 4 certifcation services!  Viewing and comparing the PCGS and ANACS population reports and the NGC census report is truly an eye opening experience and highly recommended! We primarily offer 3rd Party Certified Coins! We have received a counterfeit raw Wisconsin "Extra Leaf High (Up Leaf) Variety" quarter from an eBay seller with a scratch where the leaf should be on a normal Wisconsin Quarter! RETURNED TO EBAY SELLER AT HIS EXPENSE! Also received a loose put together roll of Wisconsin Quarters with Extra Leaf High (Up Leaf) Variety on one end and Extra Leaf Low (Down Leaf) Variety on the other end! The Quality of the end coins was very poor questionable borderline Mint condition, possibly very lightly circulated! Supposedly an original bank wrapped roll! Obviously NOT! and obviously a put together fantasy roll! RETURNED TO EBAY SELLER AT HIS EXPENSE! and I am reasonably sure that no original rolls ever existed like this or if so an extremely limited handful exist(ed)! Strange and amazing that the same seller sold and continued to sell Dozens and Dozens of rolls like this week after week and month after month and the ANA continued to allow it for who knows how long!!?!? Lately this seller has not listed these much so maybe this has done some good! BEWARE! when purchasing from certain deceptive and unscrupulous sellers online or elsewhere! Most Images are representative, educational and illustrative and pertain to the additional information below!  Five to Ten day return privilege on most all coins! 5-10 % restocking fee on certified coins and 4-8% on raw uncertified coins. (ANA American Numismatic Association Industry Standard is 5-10 day return privilege on internet auctions) If you choose to take advantage of our Grading guarantee this is extended 2-4 months. Please feel free to ask about our Quality & Grading guarantee and buy back policies! As a professional numismatist, coin dealer, curator, grader and trader I stand behind what I sell! Planning to attend a few national and regional coin shows the next few months. Please email or call if you would like to coordinate and view coins in person at a coin show near you. TERMS: Winning bidder to confirm by E-mail within 1 day, payment to be postmarked or processed within 1-2 days via 1 or 2 day guaranteed delivery to be received within 2-4 days of auction closing. We Accept Personal and Business Checks (with 3-12 business days to clear) and gladly accept Certified Checks, Cashiers Checks and Money orders, (with 2-9 business days to clear) etc. all work as well. Please email @ gcde@earthlink.net or call PRIOR! to purchase 435-752-0245 or 435-770-1958 regarding Credit/Debit Card payment acceptance.  Shipping, Handling, Packaging and Insurance is $28.99 to the USA on these coins and up to $4000 insured value.  Please email regarding possible combined shipping savings, coin show delivery and for international rates or with any questions @ gcde@earthlink.net. or call 435-752-0245! Due to eBay and or computer technical difficulties etc. our auctions are subject to prior sale and or may end up canceled or voided once in a while.  Please do not procrastinate. Please feel free to click on the buy it now button! If you are waiting until the last few minutes, hours or days to purchase or place a serious bid or offer, that opportunity may vanish! Additional information about the Wisconsin Extra Leaf Variety Quarters: Tucson Region2-bit mystery so far is unique to Tucson By Inger Sandal ARIZONA DAILY STAR Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.11.2005 Coin collectors are starting to see green over unusual markings that look like extra corn leaves on some of the new Wisconsin quarters circulating around Tucson. So far the extra "leaves" - and why they've been reported only in Tucson - remain a mystery. "It's hard to say what the value of these things will be," said Rob Weiss, who owns Old Pueblo Coin, 4420 E. Speedway. "Just to discover two varieties like this - it is just so exciting. It is something that really is a major thing in the coin industry." The Wisconsin quarter, which started circulating last month, has the nation's first president, George Washington, on the front and a state design on back that includes a cow and an ear of corn. "What we discovered was on a very small percentage of these Wisconsin quarters there are two (varieties) that contain extra leaves," Weiss said. "One variety has an extra leaf that goes up," he said, and a second has a "leaf" that curves down. "It is as clear and crisp and sharp as can be. These are not depressions on the coin. These are raised leaves. "To find one of the varieties would have been incredible. The fact that there are two completely different varieties that we discovered is completely mind-boggling," Weiss said. Weiss' shop made the discovery more than a week ago, and as of Monday it was still waiting for an explanation from the U.S. Mint. "It's not supposed to have happened. It's very exciting in coin circles," he said. "According to the mint, there's no other report of these varieties turning up in any other part of the country." A U.S. Mint spokesman in Washington, D.C., did not return a call seeking comment. Weiss' discovery made the cover of the current Coin World, which calls itself the world's largest and most widely read publication for coin hobbyists. The article raised the idea that tool gouges into two separate dies were the most likely culprit, but it also appealed to the mint for more information. "This is pretty cool stuff for the collectors," Weiss said. State quarters are produced in the order that the states joined the Union. They are collected by an estimated 130 million Americans. Wisconsin was the last of five states released in 2004; Arizona's state quarter is slated for release in 2008. Weiss ordered 100 rolls of the Wisconsin quarter from the Denver Mint and 100 rolls from the Philadelphia Mint. Each mint produced more than 225 million Wisconsin quarters, local coin experts said. "We actually sold quite a few Wisconsin quarters before we discovered them," Weiss said, referring to the marks that appear on a fraction of the coins from Denver. "It was way exciting. The first thing we did, we went through all the rolls." The eventual value will depend in part on how many of the coins turn up, but Weiss already has sold a set of three - a regular quarter and each of the varieties (a face value of 75 cents) - for nearly $200. Weiss suggested Tucsonans examine their pocket change. "If people know what to look for, by all means they can find these things out here," Weiss said. "This is an opportunity for people to start looking at their coins." Bret Palser of Eagle Eye Rare Coins, 1760 E. River Road, agreed. "If you were to go to the bank and search through rolls of quarters, you could find them still," he said. But they will likely be exceedingly rare in other parts of the country, he said, particularly in the Eastern states served by the Philadelphia Mint. Palser is leaving for a show in Florida on Wednesday and said he already has a standing offer for $100 a set. Although it's still unknown whether the marks were intentional or a simple mistake, Palser sides with intentional leaves - particularly with the low leaf that curves down. Regardless, he said, "since these look so much like little extra leaves and they are very easy to see with the naked eye, they are going to be a highly collected variety." There are a myriad of errors that can happen at a mint, where numerous presses churn out the same coins at the same time. Most are striking errors, such as a press getting jammed, and such coins rarely see public circulation, he said. But the variations in the Wisconsin quarter seem to have happened in the die, and a single die can strike around 40,000 coins before it starts to deteriorate, Palser said. Under that scenario, only a fraction of the quarters would have the variations. "The simple fact is these are out here and they are going to be very hot," Palser said. ? Contact reporter Inger Sandal at 573-4115 or at isandal@azstarnet.com <. PCGS Grades Wisconsin State Quarter Major Varieties - January 21, 2005 A major variety of the 2004 Wisconsin State Quarter has been discovered - the first major variety in the State Quarter series. It appears that some of the corn plants on the new 2004 Wisconsin State Quarter got more water than others. On some pieces, the ear of corn on the right side seems to have sprouted an extra leaf. What's more, two distinct varieties of the "extra leaf" coins have been observed. On one variety, the leaf tip points down, with the entire leaf forming an arc. On the second variety, the leaf points upward to around the 10 o'clock position of the rim on the other side. The so-called "normal" die coins have no additional leaf. Rob Weiss and Ben Weinstein of the Old Pueblo Coin Exchange in Tucson, AZ first reported the varieties late last year. Thus far, the varieties have been seen only on coins made at the Denver mint. Weiss reported that of 220 pieces examined, three coins showed the extra leaf in the high, or up position, and nine showed the leaf in the low, or down position. Of course, having been only recently discovered, it is far too early to make any definitive statements regarding rarity. But it is safe to assume that nice examples of either variety will carry a premium. Whether the varieties will turn up on Philadelphia or San Francisco coins also remains to be seen. PCGS President and Founder David Hall stated, "This is a very important discovery. The "extra leaf" Wisconsin quarters are the first major variety for the Statehood quarters. And they are very obvious varieties that are easily discernible to the naked eye... No microscope or imagination are necessary. Quite a few of the extra leaf coins turned up at the recent FUN show in Florida and our friend Dave Bowers submitted the first three coins we have received."While an official statement from the Mint regarding the design anomalies has not yet been made, speculation thus far that the marks are tool gouges in the die leaves one wondering. On the low position variety, the "die gouge" is particularly large, shaped like a leaf, and in the exact position where one would expect an additional leaf to be. Even the high position variety, the gouge is suspiciously "leaf like," albeit less so than the other variety. PCGS is now recognizing and certifying all three varieties of the 2004-D Quarter. The normal dies piece has been assigned PCGS #14033, the extra leaf in the low position is #814033 and the extra leaf high position is #914033. Two-bit mistake Flawed Wisconsin quarter is fetching prices above $500By PAUL GORESpgores@journalsentinel.com To most people, that Wisconsin quarter jingling in our pockets or purses is worth exactly 25 cents.But to coin collectors, it could be worth $500 or so if there is an extra leaf - or a flaw that looks like a leaf - on the cornstalk pictured on the tail side of the quarter.The discovery has the coin-collecting world flipping. Rare variations can drive up the price that a coin fetches in the collectors market."People go absolutely bonkers over some of these," said Rollie Finner of Iola, Wis., a coin collector and editor of The Centinel, the quarterly journal of the Central States Numismatic Society.The extra markings on the cornstalk - there actually are two types - were noticed in Tucson, Ariz., in December. So far, coins that bear it have been found mostly in that area. A few also have been reported around San Antonio, Texas.No one is sure whether the markings, one of which looks like a leaf curved down and the other a leaf pointing up, were put on intentionally during a phase of production last fall or if a gouge or foreign object in the die caused the variation. The leaf-like markings appear only on coins minted in Denver, and they might have occurred after one of multiple die changes that take place as coins are being struck.At the moment, the U.S. Mint, which created 453 million Wisconsin quarters between October and December, says it doesn't know how the markings got there and is investigating."Throughout history, there have been some instances of variations - very, very rare instances," said U.S. Mint spokesman Mike White. "If there is any kind of situation like this, we just take a very close look at the process and all the different steps."Rob Weiss, a Tucson coin dealer who began hunting for all the Wisconsin quarters he could find after a customer brought the variation to his attention, said he doesn't think the markings are there by accident - although he doubts high-up officials at the U.S. Mint would have approved them."It's definitely done intentionally. It's very plain that these are engraved leaves from dies with extra leaves on them," said Weiss, who owns Old Pueblo Coin.Weiss said when he and others at the shop saw the coins for the first time, "We couldn't believe what we were seeing."Weiss quickly went through his initial inventory of about 100 rolls of quarters and found about 5% of them with the two leaf-like markings. He reported the findings to Coin World, a 100,000-circulation weekly publication. When the magazine ran a story on its cover about the find in its Jan. 10 edition and the news subsequently was reported by local media, it touched off a Wisconsin quarter hunt in the Tucson area, Weiss said."At that point, everybody in Tucson was looking for the quarter," Weiss said. "It was a frenzy."The fact that the quarters have been found only in the Tucson and San Antonio areas may mean relatively small quantities of the special coins got shipped in a few bags only to the Southwest U.S. when they came out of the Denver mint, Finner said.Rick Snow, who owns Eagle Eye Rare Coins Inc. in Tucson, said he started paying $50 each for the quarters when he learned of them."As soon as word got out about that, the prices escalated," Snow said.On Monday, he was selling a set of three Wisconsin quarters - the normal one, one with the leaf marking pointed up and one with the marking pointed down - for as much as $1,099. Individual coins with the markings were selling for $500 to $600, depending on condition, he said.They also are showing up for sale on eBay.The market for the special Wisconsin quarters is large - especially since none of the previous 29 state quarters were found to have any quirks or variations."It has a lot of collectors very excited," said Coin World staff writer Eric von Klinger, who said some collectors argue the extra markings "are nothing more than die gouges that coincidentally occurred in about the same area of the coin."David Derzon, a coin dealer who owns David Derzon Co. Inc. in West Allis, said he hasn't seen the marked Wisconsin quarters here yet.Finner, the Iola collector, is among those who thinks the markings are intentional."I can't imagine that this was purely an accident. The supposed extra leaves are too plain, too definite. It was as though they were planned to be there," Finner said.Snow said the markings look like part of the cornstalk to him, but he's not sure why they're there. "Maybe it was someone fooling around at the mint on a low level scale, or it could be something got caught between the die and the hub," he said.Either way, Snow predicted, the producers of coin-collecting books eventually will make a slot for the rare Wisconsin quarter. from The Centinel Spring 2005 Volume 53, No. 1 Written by Samuel Ernst, YN I collect state quarters and I think they are really neat! Some collectors think the state quarter program is boring and a waste of time and money. Maybe now they will change their minds! Last December, a man in Tucson, Arizona, by the name of Bob Ford made a startling discovery. For 15 years, Mr. Ford has been going through coins from the bank looking for errors and varieties. On December 11th, while he was looking through some 2004-D Wisconsin quarters, he found "extra leaves" on the ears of corn on some of the coins. And he didn't find just one kind of new leaf... he found two! (I am from Nebraska and we call them "husks," but since everybody else is calling them "leaves," I will too.) One had an extra leaf up higher and closer to the ear of corn on the design. This one is called the "extra high or up leaf." The other has an extra leaf that is lower and comes out from the ear of corn. This one is called the "extra low or down leaf." Mr. Ford took the quarters to a coin dealer in Tucson, Rob Weiss of Old Pueblo Coin Exchange, to see if he had really found something neat, like a new variety. He had and things really started to happen! On January 11th the Arizona Daily Star newspaper wrote an article about the extra leaves and over night people came from all over to Tucson to look for Wisconsin quarters with the extra leaves. Coin World printed an article about the "extra leaves" in their January 10th issue called, "Markings on quarter leave mystery." In that article the writer, Eric von Klinger, said "...the appearances of the marks, appearing raised on the coins, are such that Coin World has asked the Mint, for the record, whether any design modifications were deliberately made." They have written another article about the "extra leaves" in their January 24th issue, too. While there are questions about what caused the "extra leaves," there is no question that there are a lot about it. On the of people talking Collector's Universe U.S. Coin Forum message boards, collectors and dealers have been wondering if the extra leaves were "die gouges, planchet defects, a hubbing accident or even an intentional added design element." I am a YN, so I don't really know about what all of that means yet, and even though I haven't seen the coins in person, I do know the "extra leaves" really do look like leaves in the pictures I've seen. Because of where the "High/Up and Low/Down" leaves show up on the design and because they really look like "leaves," it looks like it wasn't an accident. The "leaves" are in the right places on both varieties. They look just like leaves on an ear of corn, and they are on a coin that has an ear of corn on it. Wow! But because there isn't a good reason for why the "extra leaves" are on the coins, it makes me wonder if it wasn't an accident, though. It probably won't matter to collectors how the extra leaves got there. I know it doesn't matter to me. I just think they look cool. Rick Snow, who owns Eagle Eye Rare Coins; Inc. of Tucson, wrote this in a post to the Collector's Universe U.S. Coin Forum about how people are reacting in Tucson: "You have to realize that it's like someone hid winning lottery tickets all over town." After reading about the coins in Coin World I asked my grandparents, who live near Tucson to try and find some for me, but they couldn't. They said one coin dealer, told them, that before the varieties were found, he was giving away free 2004 Wisconsin state quarters to anyone who brought in a can of food for a food drive. I wonder how many folks got "extra leaf" quarters that way?After seeing the coins in person and taking some to the FUN show in Florida to have other dealers -and collectors look at the coins, Rick Snow has made up his mind that they are a true variety. In another, post on the Collector's Universe U.S. Coin Forum he wrote: "To me as a variety specialist, I must say this is a cool naked eye variety. Much better than the 2004-DD nickels, and along the lines of the 1972-DD cents and other bold varieties. I feel certain that these will be collected alongside the state, quarter set." On their website, the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), wrote a statement on January 21st about the Wisconsin quarters with the "extra leaves." David Hall, PCGS founder and president, said: "This is a very important discovery. The 'extra leaf' Wisconsin quarters are the first major variety for the Statehood quarters. And they are very obvious varieties that are easily discernible to the naked eye... no microscope or imagination are necessary." PCGS also said, "While an official statement from the Mint regarding the design anomalies has not yet been made, speculation thus far that the marks are tool gouges in the die leaves one wondering. On the low position variety, the 'die gouge' is particularly large, shaped like a leaf, and in the exact position where one would expect an additional leaf to be. Even the high position variety, the gouge is suspiciously 'leaf like.' albeit less so than the other variety." I wrote an email to Q. David Bowers, of American Numismatic Rarities, asking him what he thought about the "extra leaves" on the Wisconsin state quarters. He wrote back to me and said, "While the exact cause of these varieties is not known at the moment, it seems to me that two different working dies were each engraved with an extra leaf, quite carefully and with good artistic effect. From a numismatic viewpoint, this has created varieties that are fascinating.'' So far, no other "extra leaves" Wisconsin quarters have been proved to be real anywhere else in the country other than Tucson or from any other Mint than Denver. It is estimated that there are only 2,000 "high leaf"' and 2,700 "low leaf"' coins that collectors and dealers in Tucson know about. Wow! A set of three Wisconsin quarters: one with a normal design, one with a "high/up" leaf and one with a "low/down" leaf would have cost a face value of 75-cents last December, if you were lucky enough to find them at a bank in Tucson. Now they are selling for hundreds of dollars! No one still knows for sure if the "extra leaves" were made on purpose or are just a mistake that happened in the minting process. No one really knows if they are only going to be found in Tucson or in other areas of the country too. No one really knows how many more will turn up. But one thing I know for sure is that they sure look neat and these "extra leaves" on the 2004-D Wisconsin state quarters is the neatest thing to happen to the state quarter series so far! Tucson RegionSix bits'll get you up to $1,500 Rare-quarter discoverer will put his finds on sale Arizona daily star Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.03.2005 A local coin buff's discovery of rare Wisconsin state quarters last year sparked a collecting frenzy that has seen the price of the coins soar and plenty of counterfeits created. Bob Ford, 72, made the discovery in December 2004. In coin collecting circles, his find has been likened to digging up treasure. "I wonder if Christopher Columbus got this much press," Ford said. The Wisconsin quarters feature a cornstalk stamped on the back. The rare quarters, minted only in Denver in 2004, feature an extra leaf on the cornstalk. One version has an upturned extra leaf, while on the other version the extra leaf bends down. Ford spent Monday signing authenticity certificates for 100 three-coin discovery sets, which will fetch between $750 and $1,500. The sets feature quarters from Ford's initial discovery. Rick Snow, owner of Eagle Eye Rare Coins, 1760 E. River Road, helped Ford organize the sets and get them graded and certified. The sets will go on sale at noon on May 26. The quarters with the high leaf are the rarest of the set, and one sells for $300 on its own, Snow said. Because of the rare coins' popularity, counterfeits already have been circulating on the Internet. Ford bought a high-leaf coin online for $90, but it turned out to be a fake. The counterfeit offers an example of why collectors should buy certified coins, Snow said. While they're more expensive, certified coins will be worth more in the long run, he said. It's still not clear why the variations in the quarter exist. But there are plenty of theories, Ford said. According to Ford, 124 million Wisconsin quarters were minted in Denver in 2004. Of those, only 4,000 or 5,000 extra-leafed coins have been found. Posted 1/20/2006 2:03 AM State quarter's extra leaf grew out of lunch break By Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAYWASHINGTON - The release of thousands of flawed Wisconsin state quarters that set off a buying frenzy, and speculations of foul play, was a mistake stemming from an ill-timed meal break, a government investigation has found. The Wisconsin quarter as it was intended to be. By Ron Medvescek, Arizona Daily Star via AP As many as 50,000 of the faulty coins, 50 times the amount earlier thought, entered circulation in 2004 after the coins were produced and bagged during an operator's break, according to the Treasury Department's Office of Inspector General. The flawed Wisconsin coins, which have sold for thousands of dollars, appear to have an extra leaf on the left side of an ear of corn. By Ron Medvescek, Arizona Daily Star via AP This quarter has a flaw - an apparent extra leaf on the left side of the ear of corn, toward the bottom. The Wisconsin quarters went into circulation in 2004 as part of the 10-year state quarter program run by the Mint, an agency in the Treasury Department. The quarters "were most likely produced as a result of machine or product deficiencies, not as a result of an intentional act," according to the report, obtained by USA TODAY through a Freedom of Information Act request. According to the report: A press operator at the Denver Mint working on a Friday night in November 2004 noticed blemishes on coins produced at one of the five presses he was operating. The operator stopped the machine and left for a meal break. The operator returned to see the machine running and assumed someone else changed the die. When conducting regular inspections, the operator realized the die was not changed. The press likely had been operating for 1hours, and thousands of coins were "commingled" with unblemished quarters, the report said. No one was fired as a result of the incident. Mint spokeswoman Becky Bailey says by the time the final error was realized, the quarters were bagged and ready to be shipped. It would have been too costly to separate the blemished quarters from the good quarters by hand or to destroy them, Bailey says. "Over the years, we have greatly tightened our quality control, and this is a highly unusual occurrence," Bailey says, noting 5 million quarters are produced daily at the Denver Mint. The flawed quarters have popped up mainly in Tucson and San Antonio. One set of three Wisconsin quarters, two flawed and one in good condition, sold for $2,800 on eBay Tuesday. Collectors previously estimated that there were approximately 1,000 flawed quarters. But even though the report suggests many more could be out there, their value will likely stay high, predicts Beth Deisher, editor of Coin World and Coin Values magazines. "Unless there is a hoard out there (that would flood the market), I would be very surprised if it reduces the value very much," she says. Author: Richard SnowDate: 6/16/06The 2004-D Wisconsin Extra Leaf High and Low quarter dollar variants have now been out for a year and a half and are finally getting the respect they deserve. They are now becoming, without a doubt, the top variety of the State quarter series. In my opinion they will probably become the top die variety of our generation. The stories regarding these varieties are all fascinating and I am beginning to accumulate them for a book. If you have had an interesting experience - whether good or bad - please contact me for possible inclusion in the book. Some of the stories already planned include the story of Bob Ford, the retired policeman who spent years searching coins from Tucson area banks. He finally hit on the find of his life and started selling them on eBay for $1.35! Later he checked with Rob Weiss and Ben Weinstein at Old Pueblo Coins, also in Tucson, and the word got out that these were important. Bobs story is one all collectors will enjoy. Bob Ford is a great guy and his name will forever be linked to these fabulous quarters. My own story about showing these varieties around at the 2005 Florida United Numismatist show is classic. In the time it took to walk around the bourse room late in the show, the Extra Leaf varieties were born as WOW coins. Hobby notables like Ken Bressett, Dave Bowers, David Hall, along with the experts at ANACS, Independent Coin Grading, Numismatic Guaranty Corp., and Professional Coin Grading Service got their first look at them and all agreed it was a terrific variety. Upon returning from that show I started buying as many as I could. I got my first submissions back from NGC and PCGS just as the news hit in the Associated Press wires. I was mentioned in many of the nations newspapers at the time, mainly for asking $1,250 for the Mint State 67 NGC graded sets. In that week I gave endless interviews, and my office could barely handle the orders on the three phone lines. These were wild times indeed! Then there is the story of Samuel Ernst, an 11-year-old from Nebraska who wanted his grandfather to find him some Extra leaf quarters in change in Tucson. He posted on the PCGS message board about his desire to own a set of the Extra Leaf variety quarters. I offered to give him a set if he wrote an article for a regional coin collecting organization. He wrote a terrific article on the Wisconsin Extra Leaf variety quarters for The Centinel, the journal of the Central States Numismatic Association, and not only did he get the free set, he won numerous awards for the article and subsequent exhibits. His dad has every right to be very proud. Samuels story helps to show how to get the fullest enjoyment out of numismatics. There are stories of fabulous finds elsewhere and I would like to include as many as possible. If you would like to write it yourself and submit it, please do. If you would like to send the facts and have me write it, thats fine too. If you would like to remain anonymous, I can work that out as well. Then there is the story about the rejection of this variety by members of the error community who went to great efforts to not only disparage the Extra Leaf quarters, but also disparage the collectors who were thinking of owning them. Although I am a variety specialist and considered among the top variety specialists in the country, some of these outspoken error specialists ridiculed me for getting involved with these coins. The fact is that these literally fell into my lap as a resident of the great city of Tucson. I never actually found an Extra Leaf quarter. I had to purchase every one, and for an ever increasing price, too. Today, other dealers have taken up the Extra Leaf market and it is maturing. Ive gone back to devoting my time to my specialty - Flying Eagle and Indian cents, although I do get a few Extra Leaf quarter sets now and then. I consider myself extremely lucky to have had these coins show up in my area of the country. Since I am not a marketer any more I feel I can be even more objective in presenting all sides of these stories. No one has yet been able to prove how these coin were made. The Treasurys Office of the Inspector Generals report gave a few hints but did not present any solid evidence. The pieces of this puzzle are falling into place and I think we are getting closer to the truth. I plan to evaluate all possible scenarios. Some have said that these are mere die gouges, and written them off to the scrap heap of unwanted varieties. To test this theory, I suggest you go into your garage and try to make any kind of gouge into an ordinary hammer. It cant be done. The dies used at the U.S. Mint are of similar hardness. The error was certainly created in the engraving department prior to the hardening of the dies, not on the coining press. Another interesting aspect of these varieties is that there are two similar, but different ones struck in similar quantities at the same time. Just one variety could be an accident, but two varieties make the case for an inside job more plausible. I plan to detail the production methods and look at the possible causes. The market for these coins has been like a wild roller-coaster ride. Many of the certified sets I originally sold for up to $1,250 were immediately put on eBay from their purchasers and sold for whopping profits! Some auctions had 10,000 watchers! I started buying all I could that fell below my buy prices ($250 a set at the time). This was happening about the time of the February 2005 Long Beach show. When I attended that show the prices on eBay plummeted because there was no one except me and a few others who had any idea how rare these would become. With reports of multiple-bag quantities (in of all places, Ohio) popping up, potential buyers did not know what the real value of these should be. This is the first major circulation variety to have its value set not by marketers, but by online auctions. In the past weeks prices have shot up in a frenzy of buying activity. The MS-67 NGC-graded sets, which sold for $1,250 last year, have been selling for between $5,000 and $9,000! An MS-68 NGC set sold for $10,000 last year and the owner has turned down $20,000 offers. Presently, the two MS-67 PCGS-graded pieces (one of each) are valued by their owners at $50,000 each! Is this a speculative bubble? Ill examine that as well. If fact, the market dynamics of this variety on eBay could make for an interesting study on the economics of supply and demand and customer perception of value. It can all be very interesting. If you have information or a story about the Wisconsin Extra Leaf High and Low quarters, please contact me at rick@indiancent.com My two bits worth.. (In my humble professional opinion) These are Major Varieties (NOT ERRORS!) and intentionally produced by a free spirited engraver (whether unofficially sanctioned (very probable!) or not is somewhat irrelevant!) the U.S. Mint's dis information (lies) have hampered this market! These are what they are! the only Major Varieties in the statehood quarter series! (Quite Significant!) The likelihood of more major varieties in the Statehood quarter series or any series is very slim! It was 87 - 124 years prior (Please correct me if I missed something!) since such a Major Variety or Type coin was produced by the U. S. Mint! Hence Very Unique!!  Highly recommended reading is the Article in The August Numismatist regarding these!  I am most Thankful for the Free Spirited Engraver,  Bob Ford,  for Discovering them quickly!,  and the incredible unprecedented nationwide media blitz that helped a high percentage of these to be found prior to circulation! There are probably between approximately 10,000-22,000 of each of the Extra Leaf High (Up Leaf) Variety and Extra Leaf Low (Down Leaf) Variety Wisconsin Statehood Quarters left in Mint Condition and approximately another 4,000-8,000 of each Variety in circulated condition. There are definitely more of the Extra Leaf Low (Down Leaf) Variety than of the Extra Leaf High (Up Leaf) minted, or in existence! There are definitely not enough to go around and long term they have no where to go but way up in value! Double, Triple, Quadruple etc.! Typical Mint State Quality from the Mint is MS63 PQ+ to MS64 PQ + . Top Quality Gem MS65, MS65PQ + and MS66 PCGS graded quality or conservatively strict graded coins are quite scarce in top quality conditions and will probably perform quite well long term! Most (probably about 90-95% +) of the NGC graded MS66, MS67 and MS68 graded coins would of or will grade 1 to 3 grades lower at PCGS (PCGS Population and NGC Census reports definitely support this and the market continues to realize and reflect this! Market difference of PCGS versus NGC, etc. has been and will probably continue to become much more pronounced in the coming months and years!) Personal preference is the PCGS MS66 rather than the NGC MS67 or NGC MS68! The PCGS MS65 rather than the NGC MS66, and the most often the PCGS MS64 rather than the NGC MS65! Viewing and comparing the PCGS and ANACS population reports and the NGC census report is truly an eye opening experience and highly recommended! RECOMMENDED! VERY STRONGLY URGE and recommend the purchasing of AU53, AU55, AU58, AU59, MS64, MS65 and MS66, PCGS graded or conservatively graded Wisconsin Statehood Extra Leaf Quarters at currently and recently traded levels! as of July.   TERMS: Winning bidder to confirm by E-mail within 1 day, payment to be postmarked or processed within 1-2 days via 1 or 2 day guaranteed delivery to be received within 2-4 days of auction closing. We Accept Personal and Business Checks (with 3-12 business days to clear) and gladly accept Certified Checks, Cashiers Checks and Money orders, (with 2-9 business days to clear) etc. all work as well. Please email @ gcde@earthlink.net or call PRIOR! to purchase 435-752-0245 or 435-770-1958 regarding Credit/Debit Card payment acceptance.. Buyer to prepay all shipping, handling, and insurance costs at the rate(s) listed above. 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