I just acquired this 1890 QDO-001 (or Snow-1)--a class VI quadrupled die that I've been after for a long time. This example is mid-grade, but what's more important--it's an earlier die state that retains a lot of interesting detail in the legends. The whole coin is an even brown with fairly even wear: Here's a closer look at the areas which are subjected to intense die deterioration in later grades. First, detail from a Heritage coin that looks to be a much later die state: This deterioration is largely absent on earlier die states like my coin--detail of rim: Clearly, there is also very little deterioration under the date, which suggests my coin is EDS. After comparing several coins of later die states, I noticed that the doubling on the legends is severely affected by die wear. Since legends are subject to a lot of metal flow, the details of the QDO are also worn, having the effect of enlarging the chunky serifs. No doubt, a lot of the subtle details are lost on later die states. So should later die states be priced less? I think so. Now for the best part: the markers of this quadrupled die. It took some very careful lighting to capture the doubling on the legends. One last detail: the date has something in the “0”. There is discussion this might be a 0/0, and I think that’s a strong possibility. Using an overlay of the 0 punched south, it appears to be a plausible explanation.
Hey KurtS thanks for sharing. Awesome photos of an honest, original coin! This is a very exciting variety, one of the top of the entire series. It is the only QDO known, and does show at least four steps very distinctly on high grade coins. Serious collectors might aim for both early and late die states, as the late die state is quite interesting. It serves as an excellent example to new collectors on how the dies can deteriorate, and what they look like when they do. I remember the first time I found the QDO, and have found a couple since then. They are very easy to spot once you know what to look for, but they are rare. Anyone desiring the QDO should be able to pick one eventually. The heavy degree of die deterioration suggests there are plenty of them out there to collect.
Ah, yeah this variety is so awesome I think we've all kind of ignored the RPD. LOL, you'd think it would have been attributed by now. I'll put that on the to-do list.
Agreed--it's not the main variety, but still an unusual one for an IHC. I have seen similar ones from other mints (I collect world overdates). Agreed--at least 4. If you want to get really detailed about it, each of the ridges seen below in an MS piece represent a hubbing. It's quite possible that in some places on legends, these have merged together into larger steps...
