1926 D - 3 1/2 Legs, 2 1/2 Feathers, No F, Broken Back - XF?

This is about the rarest error coin I have right now. It was a cherry pick too. BTW the green stuff came right off, so picture it without that.

 

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I usually try to give the benefit of the doubt unless I can inspect a coin in hand, but I have to say, I don't see ANY of the 'errors' that you are talking about... And I am pretty skeptical about the XF grade as well... Everything you mention just looks like normal wear to me... Or even excessive wear... And if you had to 'clean' green off of it to boot, it would seem that it can only hurt the value further...

 

Wear never happens on the lowest points of a coin first. And if the leg were any weaker, this would be a true 3 legger. Also the green stuff came right off to the point that you can't tell it was there to start with. How can that lower the value? In my opinion the green stuff lowered the value. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on the grade.-That's the reason for the question mark. Maybe VF/XF. Also there is a broke spot under the u in pluribus, and the "F" is almost completely gone.

 

I'm no expert but it might be some complications in the die. It also might've been a weak strike. If you look at the hooves of the other 3 legs they are also weak and obviously didn't come off the die very nicely. The "green stuff" does lower the value, but whatever way you got it off lowered the value of it even more. It's not worth too much so I doubt anybody will inspect it closely. dayriser is correct, it definitely doesn't look like anything close to an XF to me. The broken spot next to the "u" in unum looks like a huge gash in the coin, PMD. I'm not sure where you see an F that's "almost completely gone", both the F in "of" and "five" look fine to me. Overall, looks like a normal 1926D to me with PMD and a poor strike/lots of wear.

 

The f under the date.

 

Yes, the leg is weak, but it is not flat. I have no idea where you get the 2 1/2 feathers. They look rather strong to me. Yes, your "F" is weak and the means? Your broken back/spot under the U (as well as the chief's nose) is corrosion. BTW, that is not removable even though you may get the green off. The corrosion may not make it worthless, but it is worth much less than you think.

 

The 1926-D 3 1/2 legged , according to Wexler, Pope and Flynn's book , is the right front leg, where the center portion only shows a remnant. I think your shows more than a remnant, and would not be considered one, IMO.

They also comment that the appearances of 1926-D in general is not so much the strike, but the " very worn out and eroded dies, both obverse and reverse. This more than likely accounts for the weak F ( designer 1nitial), and the worn gap of the last feather.

 

Would anybody agree that this is the same die pair that produced the 3 1/2 leg coin? But just an earlier die state coin? Ron Pope's book, (Buffalo Nickels - The Abraded Die Varieties) says that for the 1926 D 3 1/2 leg coin - "The strength of the effaced leg varies considerably". The coin in his book also shows the gouge in the buffalos back in the exact same spot. -This would be a diagnostic that I would look for. And the mintmark is correct -(centered, tall, and straight, according to the pictures in the book. -I came here seeking your opinions, so I thank each and everyone of you for your comments.

 

Even if it were the same die pair that produced the 3 1/2 leg it didn't become the "3 1/2 leg variety" until after the die was over polished. It botheres me that this is refered to as a variety when it actually is a die state. If this is considered a variety why isn't every coin produced by a worn out over polished die considered something special?

Richard

 

I agree with you. These coins wouldn't be special at all, if it wasn't for the 37 D 3 leg.- Which is wildly over popular. At any given time 24/7 you can purchase one of these off Ebay. There are over 4-5000 known, -It seems like you'd be able to get one for $10 or less as a novelty.

 

I don't know much about buffalos, but what I do know is that even if the coin was produced from the same die pair that produced the 3 1/2 legged, so what? The point is that the coin that you have in your hand isn't a 3 1/2 legged.

 

Well I have to come to the defense of black-dog7315 on this one! I will tell you that I have specialized in buffaloes for over 30yrs. The example here is no doubt a 26 D 3 1/2 leg with all the die markers of an abraded die obverse and reverse. Good job on the cherry pick! On the obverse it reflects clearly a very weak designer initial as well as a detached or 2 1/2 feather. The reverse shows clearly the die clash in the motto along with the weak front right leg. The coin likely would grade a VF 30/35 minimum, I would say it,s pushing the EF40. The 1926 D is notorious for being flatly struck. Full strike examples are very, very rare and would command a premium. Some coins though can be found with a sharp strike, as this example appears to have about as well as you will find for this particular date. Notice the light strike at the braid ribbon and slightly above, along with a lightness of detail on the fur details on the bison,s head and shoulder. There is obvious light wear on the coin, but not enough to override the slight flatness of the strike. The 26 D 3 1/2 leg is not a well known abraded die variety, but I,m sure that with the increase in the abraded die interest with the buffalo series it will begin to get more press with time. Also of note is that the designer initial being nearly nonexistent as well as 2 feather, 2 1/2, 1/4 3 leg, 3 1/2 leg in varying degrease of weakness is not a cause of weak strikes or worn out dies. These are examples of over polishing of the dies in an attempt to remove die clashes. The slight corrosion on the coin may be reflected as environmental damage on 3rd party grading, but that is a chance one would have to take. Upon encapsulation this would cease to impact the state of the coin as far as continuing to erode. I can tell you that if this coin were just a 26 D and not the 3 1/2 leg die state, it would likely fetch between $100-$150 dollars depending on the grade. It's a nice coin and you are lucky to have it. Good job. I have never posted before on any blog, I do enjoy reading them as I find some interesting evaluations and comments made. I am frequently consulted on buffalo nickels, I guess when you specialize in one particular series it makes life easier when it comes too educating ones self. Should any of you have an interest in buffalo nickels I would suggest you pick up the latest edition (11th) of Buffalo Nickels The Abraded Die Varieties. By the way, just released on July 16th. Take a look on page 104 and get back to me if you have any questions!