So, I have been thinking about putting together a raw MS Eisenhower Dollar set...I think it would be a fun project. A while back, I won a contest here (I think) and the prize was an MS 1971-D Ike "Talon Head Variety" dollar...at least that is how it was labeled. I assume, there is some kind of die marker on the reverse. I'm not a huge die variety guy so I was thinking of using this coin as just a plain old 1971-D MS coin and having it be the first coin in this set. I know that 1971 and 1972 mint sets didn't have dollars in them so this might be a little bit harder coin to find in MS. Anyway, does anyone know about this "Talon Head Variety?" I would like to know what it is.
The "Talon Head" is the result of a die clash much like the Bugs Bunny Franklin Half Dollars. On the Reverse Die or the Eisenhower, for whatever reason, the space between the eagles legs is much deeper than any other area on the coin. It easily decends below the field level and as such, when the dies come together, the area on the die which extends above the field, comes in contact woith the Temple Area of the IKE portrait leaving a talon shaped depression in the obverse die face. Each coin minted after that clash shows this "talon". The talon can vary in size and number depending upon how many times the dies clashed and whether or not there was any rotation between clashes. Multiple Talons can be close together or spaced further apart. They can be small and barely perceptible (typically on P Mint coins) or large and in your face. As with anything, collectibility depends upon size and clarity of the Talon in addition to the grade of the coin.
