Great Rarities - 2 Heads or Tails

Discussion in 'Numismatic Resources' started by GDJMSP, Apr 8, 2006.

  1. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Coins with two tails or two heads - every numismatic site there is gets dozens, if not hundreds, of questions about these coins on a regular basis. And as anyone who has been collecting for even a short time will tell you they are magician's coins - coins purposely manufactured as a novelty.

    But what some don't realize is that there are known genuine examples - certified and slabbed by the top third party grading companies like NGC, ANACS, PCGS & ICG. Make no mistake, these coins are quite rare. I have heard, read or seen pictures of only 4 U.S. examples to date - 2 quarters, 1 Indian cent and a dime. So far I have only been able to locate on-line information about 1 of the quarters and the Indian cent. The following links will provide articles and pics on the subject. I will provide more as I find them.


    The 1859 2 Headed Indian Cent

    "This two-headed muling, a business striking - not a proof struck in copper-nickel, was recently rediscovered and was the subject of an article in the September 18, 2000 edition of Coin World. It had been submitted to ANACS for authentification."

    1859 Cent


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    Another 'impossible' coin possible?


    "A Washington quarter dollar struck from two Eagle reverse dies has been authenticated, graded Mint State 63 and encapsulated by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America."

    "It is an amazing coin to view," said David Camire, NGC Mint error specialist. "You keep wanting to flip it over and over. I'm sure that we will be getting a lot of calls from people owning magician's coins saying that they have also found one. This coin is not a magician's coin, but it is magic!"

    Impossible Coin


    'Mule herder' adds to stable, acquires double-reverse 25¢


    "The E-Sylum: Volume 4, Number 30, July 22, 2001, Article 11

    TWO-TAILED QUARTER AUTHENTICATED

    Speaking of errors, Coin World reported this week that
    a two-tailed U.S. quarter has been authenticated as
    genuine. Everything I've ever read about errors said this
    was an impossibility, and just last week, in an emailed
    response to a visitor to my web site, I stated flatly that any
    such piece must be a manufactured fantasy, not a product
    of the U.S. Mint."

    TWO-TAILED QUARTER AUTHENTICATED


    2nd Two Tailed Quarter Surfaces

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    There are quite a few known examples of two headed/two tailed world coinage. Mike Byers managed to put together quite a collection of them.

    Byers Collection


    2 Tailed Canadian Cents

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  3. mikenoodle

    mikenoodle The Village Idiot Supporter

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  4. bruthajoe

    bruthajoe Still Recovering

    Heads I win, tails you lose.

    The author sums up the article as likely intentional.

    I'm sure that anyone who works in machine shops and has access to Industrial quality tools has occasionally experimented. I would think no different for a facility run by incompetent government employees.

    I propose that an employee was tired of losing bets in the coin flipping craze of the mid century and felt that he never truly had a 50% chance at life, thus compelled by the never ending losing streak to create the only coin in which he could never again lose a toss.

    I have to imagine now that there is also a double head out there for those times when the opponent insisted on tails.
     
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