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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;SuperDave, post: 2299287, member: 1892&quot;]Here is where you step into one of the next levels of numismatics. Chances are all 5 quarters came from different dies - even at the best estimated die lifetime it still took <b>hundreds</b> of die pairs to strike all the Homestead Quarters - and cracks like this happen in most cases because that particular die design had places where metal flow during the strike creates a spot of greater than normal stress on the die. These areas of varying stress are a known phenomenon in minting; they also have a bearing on how toning propagates on a given coin down the road because they literally alter the surface structural characteristics of the planchet metal in different locations. </p><p><br /></p><p>Many issues are &quot;famous&quot; for the locations of where they crack. These are design consequences; the dies are not up to the task in that area and fail frequently. So it has happened here with the Homestead Quarter, along with the curious quantity of die doubling - which happened during the creation of the dies - noted for the year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Your coins will have similarities, and likely minute differences. Your task now is to define those differences, and prove (or disprove) that they&#039;re from differing dies. If you have two coins with a chip in the same place, you can sometimes intuit from observation whether the chip on the one has a familial resemblance to the chip on the other, even if one has progressed. Die chips can grow as the die progressively fails, and in a lot of cases you can tell from the similar shapes of remaining contours where the chip has expanded.</p><p><br /></p><p>Coming up with two coins obviously from the same die pair is a giggle moment. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Of course, a lot of evidence is going to be inconclusive, and you may not be able to draw firm conclusions from the evidence you have. It is the search for these connections&nbsp; - be it to an existing, known variety or a new one you&#039;re the first to call out - which motivates those of us who style ourselves as variety seekers. That latter is a neat way to get your 15 minutes of Internet fame. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>It&#039;s also a way to contribute to the greater body of scholarly knowledge about the issue, in the assistance of some pretty dedicated people - whatever the issue - who are directing their collecting activities into the academic range. It&#039;s a substantial demographic of collectors, and the Internet is making it possible.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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