WI State-Quarter variety links
Original article in Tucson newspaper

Bob Ford, Tucson collector who is credited with the discovery.

PCGS press announcement

NGC certified 3-piece sets.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel February 7, 2005

Bob Ford Discovery Sets signed May 2,2005 - Tucson newspaper

Samuel Ernst (age 11) Article - The Centinel, Journal of the Central States Numismatic Society

PCGS on-line pricing

January 20, 2006 article regarding the U.S. Mint investigation report.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-01-20-quarter-goof-usat_x.htm

Eagle Eye Rare Coins, Inc.
Presents the numismatic event of our generation!

The mystery surrounding the extra leaf quarters is about to be revealed! Chris Pilliod, a Metallurgist by trade and well known and respected variety expert, has submitted an article for publication in The Numismatist that proves, without a doubt, that the Wisconsin Extra leaf Quarters were hand made, on purpose by someone at the Denver Mint. This is a true Midnight-Minter story! This makes this variety virtually in a class by itself! Its rarity is now known, it's popularity well known, and now the reason of its existence will soon be known to all! Very exciting!


Now available - The Frank Mazur find
After a long hiatus of owning and marketing Wisconsin Extra Leaf Quarters, we have bought a fabulous group that was found by Tucsonan Frank Mazur in early 2005.

When news of the Extra leaf quarters started making headlines in January 2005, Frank Mazur saw an oppertunity. He took $1,000 and went to his local bank and bought brand new rolls of WI Quarters. $1,000.00 worth is 4,000 quarters! He went through them and found nothing! Then he went to another bank and bought 4,000 more quarters. Nothing! After four bank runs Frank got bleary-eyed and took the quarters to the Indian casino in Tucson.

By the end of January, Frank's luck changed. At the Bank of America he again bought 4,000 quarters and HOLD THE PHONE! He found some Extra Leaf Quarters! Four low leaf coins, to be exact. Next he went to the another BOA location and struck the mother lode! In one 4,000 coin lot he found about 75 High Leaf varieties and 200 low leafs.

After giving pieces away to his family and friends, Frank sold some to a dealer in San Antonio. The few remaining pieces were held back until Frank recently stepped into Eagle Eye's office to give us the story of his find for the upcomming book on the subject. Well Frank couldn't resist our offer for the coins and they were sold to Eagle Eye. Now we can offer them to you.

The above story shows how hard it was to find Extra Leaf Quarters. Although right in the heart of "Leaf" rush country, I personally never found a single one!

The recent 3-page spread in the new Cherrypicker's Guide has given the variety an added push in demand. While prices had been jumping around in a speculative bubble/valley after the Red Book came out, I feel their star rising once again. Also Q. David Borwes new book "A Guide Book to Washington Quarters" published by Whitman gives a glowing 1-1/2 page review to these coins as well. Below is the current prices:

...............................Sets..........................Singles
...............(3-piece NGC, 2-piece PCGS).....Low Leaf
MS-64 PCGS.........$650.............................$250
MS-65 PCGS.........$1,200.............................$500
MS-65 NGC........Sold Out.............................Sold Out
MS-66 NGC........Sold Out.............................Sold Out



Estimated quatities found:

Estimate of numbers = Minumum = Estimate of number graded. High end = Best guess of the maximum based on number remaining uncertified.
Extra Leaf High - 6,000 to 10,000 pieces
Extra Leaf Low - 8,000 to 12,500 pieces

Coins graded by PCGS (1/07):

Extra Leaf High - 2056 pieces:
AU: 99| MS60-63: 325| MS-64: 1,000| MS-65: 561| MS-66: 70| MS-67: 1
Extra Leaf Low - 2956 pieces:
AU: 101| MS60-63: 418| MS-64: 1,588| MS-65: 765| MS-66: 83| MS-67: 1

Coins graded by NGC (1/07):

Extra Leaf High - 3778 pieces:
AU: 110| MS60-63: 190| MS-64: 585| MS-65: 1,429| MS-66: 1,121| MS-67: 335| MS-68: 8
Extra Leaf Low - 4924 pieces:
AU: 108| MS60-63: 215| MS-64: 800| MS-65: 1,976| MS-66: 1,504| MS-67: 319| MS-68: 2

These include...
Three piece sets - 2183 (based on regular quarters submitted (AU to MS65) & estimate (MS66+)
AU: 5| MS60-63: 9| MS-64: 214| MS-65: 853| MS-66: 800| MS-67: 300| MS-68: 2

NGC MS-68 Three Piece set is available!

This set, which also is being run by UltraCoin on ebay from time to time is available from Eagle Eye, pending a prior sale. Please let us know if you have an interest.





On August 2, 2006, Bob Ford passed away from lung Cancer. Bob was a great friend and a easy-going guy. Here is a brief coin-related obituary:

Robert W.H. (Bob) Ford, discoverer of the 2004-D Wisconsin Extra Leaf Quarters, passed away in Tucson, AZ on August 2, 2006. Bob was 73 years old. Bob is preceded in death by his wife of 48 years, Diane, who died in March 2006.
Bob was an avid diver in his early years, being installed in the International Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. From 1960 to 1984 Bob was a Physical Education, Health and Diving instructor for Palo Verde High School in Tucson, AZ.
From 1976 until 1995 Bob served as a Volunteer Reserve Officer for the Tucson Department of Public Safety.
From 1990 until his death, Bob kept a busy retirement schedule as an avid coin collector and variety specialist. He would search through mountains of new coins from local banks and find numerous die varieties.
On December 11, 2004 Bob found the first reported examples of what are now called the Wisconsin Extra Leaf Quarters. This find was reported to Coin World with the help of Rob Weiss and Ben Weinstein of Old Pueblo Coin in Tucson AZ. 100 three-piece sets of the Bob had initially found were certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation as “Bob Ford Discovery Sets”.

Here is a full biography:

Robert W.H. Ford passed away on August 2, 2006 at the age of 73. He is preceded in death by his father, Wharton Hendrie Ford; mother, Marion, brother, Peter, and loving wife of 48 years, Diane.

Bob graduated from the King School in Stamford, Ct in 1951 and he attended Rutgers University from 1951- 1953. He served in the US Naval reserve from 1950 to 1953 and in 1953 went on active duty and served until 1955 when he was honorably discharged. That same year he competed in the Pan-American Game Trials in 3 meter diving and took 10th place in the nation. In 1956 he dived in the Olympic Trials, again on the 3 meter board. From 1957 to 1959 he attended the University of Arizona where he represented the University of Arizona at the NCAA and dived in the 1 meter and 3 meter competition. Recognized for these achievements, he was installed in the International Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

After college Bob took a position at Palo Verde High School as a Teacher of P.E., Health and Drivers Education. He also was the coach of the state championship swimming teams of 1963, 1964, and 1965. He retired from Palo Verde after 34 years and also worked for the U of A part time for 12 years. He was co-founder of Camp Adventure.

On June 30, 1976, Bob graduated from the police academy as a volunteer sworn reserve officer with DPS. Bob earned the distinguished “Director’s Award for outstanding reserve in the Department of Public Safety.” In 1978, 1987, and 1989, he earned the award for outstanding district 8 (Tucson) Reservist. He retired from DPS in 1995 after 19 years of distinguished volunteer service.

Bob began coin collecting as a hobby and on December 11th 2004 he made the discovery of a life time “the Wisconsin Quarter variety”. He left his legacy to coin collectors around the world and to his family. Bob enjoyed dining at fine restaurants, watching U of A sports, and spending the summer in San Diego with his family. He showed great strength and courage during his illness and for that we admire him. He will truly be missed by his children Gary Ford, Jill Hayes, Rob Ford (Sue); grandchildren, Mike Ford (Jessica), Dan Ford (Stephanie), Ashlee Ford, Austin Hayes, Brittney and Justin Ford; great-grandson Logan Ford and Friends Paul Hayes and Cindy Ford.

A little over 100 sets of Wisconsin Extra Leaf Quarters were found by Bob Ford in December, 2004. Some of these were dispersed early on to local dealers and on ebay. Bob sold a set for $1.65 soon after his find; the collector who bought it was later featured in his local Livingston, NJ newspaper! Anyway, now the 100 sets he withheld are certifed in three-piece sets by NGC. These are fabulous high-quality coins! The sets have a special NGC label denoting these as "Bob Ford Discovery Sets". An attractive laminated certificate accompanies each set. The certificate has Bob's signature attesting to it being from the original find. The serial number, grade and the number of issue is included.








It is the most dramatic and unusual die variety to come out of the Mint in 50 years. Two different dies with extra design elements: extra leaves on the left side of the corn husk on a select few of the 2004 Denver Mint Wisconsin Quarters. They were both discovered at the same time and apparently were struck at the same time. Bob Ford, a Tucson, AZ collector who, for the past 15 years has made a hobby of searching through coins in circulation for varieties and errors found the first ones on December 11, 2004. Bob brought the pieces he found To Rob Weiss at Old Pueblo Coin in Tucson. After confirming the importance of these varieties Rob reported the coin to Coin World (it was reported in the January 10th issue) and the local press (it was a front-page feature in the Arizona Daily Star on January 11th). Immediately all of Tucson was on a scavenger hunt for these coins.

As bank tellers searched their holdings and collectors bombarded them with requests for Mint-fresh rolls, Tucson became a city bubbling with coin collector activity. The coins were not being found in great quantities. There were no full rolls found. Both varieties were always found intermixed with non variety coins. A premium market was quickly established and the prices rose daily.

Before a market price could be established, the local Tucson dealers, Rob at Old Pueblo Coin and Brett Sadovnick at Tucson Coin and Autograph needed to know how many of the coins were made, how widespread the distribution was and how “neat” the variety actually is. A few sets were taken to the F.U.N show to determine the cause and “neatness” of the variety. At the show Rick Snow of Eagle Eye, and all the top numismatists at the show examined the coins. Needless to say, everyone was excited with these dramatic “naked-eye” varieties. As the first and only State-Quarter variety, they have added collector appeal. Bret and Rick sold a few sets at the show and then abruptly stopped all sales.

The variety was initially reported as a die gouge, but the majority consensus from the FUN show was that it has all the look of an added design element, although it is not an official Mint alteration. Perhaps it is a "hub-through" where a semi-circular piece of debris gets caught between the blank die and the hub. This would produce an impression in the die, which would create a raised element on the coins produced. It is certainly puzzling, given the limited numbers found. It may be an extraordinary coincidence or the result of some Mint employee's private artwork. It is certainly as dramatic and interesting as the 1937-D 3-legged Buffalo Nickel, which has a combined NGC/PCGS population of 5750 pieces and is valued from $350 in well worn condition to many thousands in Uncirculated condition. The 3-legged Buffalo was caused when a reverse die was overpolished, a much more common occurrence that what caused these extra leaf varieties.

Are these just as rare? Or are they even rarer? As it turns out the distribution of these coins is extremely local and the quantity found is extremely small. They turned up only in Tucson and a few surrounding communities. One of the bank tellers who found 200 sets says he found them only in the November 29th delivery from the Mint. None were found in solid rolls – all were mixed in with regular no-leaf coins. The Low leaf varieties are slightly more common.