I just counted reeds on a nice 1921 I have and came up with 179. Anyone know about a variety or VAM struck from a proof collar?
I just read about the Wide Reeds tonight which initiated my counting and three 1921's have 189. The wide Reed is 157 from what I read. Then they have at least one known that was supposedly struck in 1922 thats held in the Smithsonian referred to as the "Lee Proof" with 181 from the writer, referenced to Jack Lee. Haven't found an answer for 179 besides a couple articles on prior proof strike Morgan's. I don't know that ANY of that is even relevant but that's what I've learned on my own so far..It looks to be a standard, well struck, but standard business strike from the frost.
I'm curious, do 1921 Proof Morgan dollars have 179 edge reeds. Have you counted the reeding on many 1921 Morgans or did this reed count come from the VAM book which I will not have until tomorrow at work. @Jim Johns Great post. The Infrequent Reed Morgans are "naked eye" picks. Just turn a roll of 21's on edge and they'll pop out.
This is the write-up regarding the "Lee Proof" that I found. Not sure if it has ever been answered but he's certainly confident that an Authorized Proof was made for 1921, just struck in 1922. That would be pretty crazy. Imagine how many were probably melted if that ever comes to light! http://www.nationalsilverdollarroundtable.org/rewriting-the-1921-proof-morgan-story/
The other issue I'm having regarding this article is time. It was said that the other variety is 181 Reeds, which I got 178 the first time, then 179 the other 2 times. I could see being off by 2 reeds(181) over the 10 to make up the normal 189 my others have. So tomorrow, I'll be marking every 10 reeds through a plastic capsule to be certain. 179 is a likely number and I'm pretty certain what it will be for a fourth count but I will update once I'm 100%. Just wondering tonight if anyone had a reference for why 179 would be found and any VAMs already existing with the count.
I'm not familiar with a 1921 Morgan with anything other than 189 or 157 reeds. Leroy Van Allen hasn't counted the reeds on a Chapman proof as of yet, and nor have I, so I don't know how many reeds are on a Chapman proof. I also don't know if there is an epilogue to the 2008 story about the "Lee" proof, but I can ask the parties involved.
The best way to count the reeds is to take a picture of the coin in a flashlight reflector, print it out, then mark them with a pen. Mike Fey and I accumulated 5 attempts at counting the reeds on a coin at the ANA one summer, coming up with three different counts, then decided this would be the best way.
That would be great! I can't find anything besides that article on anything other than the 2 known counts
Thank you for the advice. I will update tomorrow and see what it comes out to. I feel very confident that it's not off by 10 reeds but the printed pictures is pretty dang smart!
I've counted a few, marking every tenth reed with fingernail polish and then removing it with acetone upon completion. A dry-erase marker would work too. Then again, I can tell you how many fluorescent light fixtures are on the ceiling of my 100,000 sq ft store....counting comes easily to me, whether I like it or not.
I've been counting reeds on normal "D" "S" and "P" Morgans. So far all agree with VAM at 189. I never heard of a Lee Proof and shall read the article tonight.
