Count them! I'm sure there are 8 steps there If not 8, there are at least 7 . . . . These early Jefferson's are getting difficult to find, and are pricey too . . . . Z
There are also about 8 geese in V formation flying south for the winter above the Monticello building.
Tru dat . . . . I was concerned about that artifact at first, but they all seem to have it. @dwhiz though it might be "Mars Attacks" in another thread. He might be right . . . . Z
Well Mountain, I am learning a bit of this myself . . . . . . The "nickel" above was struck (now I learn) back in the late 1990's by a company in London called CoinCraft. These are supposedly struck using dies engraved by Frans Karel Hejda that were entered into the nickel design competition along side those prepared by Felix Schlag. CoinCraft minted these of .925 silver in 1998 to supposedly commemorate 60 years of Jefferson nickels. There were supposedly only 1,938 of the Hejda nickels struck by CoinCraft in silver, and 70 each in nickel (unknown exactly how many were made and sold). It should be noted that these strikes have been generally accepted by the numismatic community having been cataloged by Krause as X# 195. These have also been graded and certified by PCGS, so acceptance of these should not be in question (documentation below). Ron Landis of Gallery Mint Museum created his version of the Felix Schlag competition dies four years later in 2002 for the Full Steps Nickel Club. His "nickels" were also struck in silver, but .999 fine I believe. Like the Hejda nickels, 1,938 sets were planned, but only about 800 were actually sold. Early last year (May of 2021), Ron Landis reintroduced the original 2002 Schlag nickel design with a few small changes. He minted up 100 more silver sets, 40 pieces in nickel, 17 pieces in .999 gold, and about half a dozen "set-up" strikes in copper proof. That's about all I know of these and the subsequent Schlag design competition strikes. Additional photos below. Z (photo above stolen from CoinsAreFun from CU)
@ZoidMeister, thank you for the education, I really appreciate it. Now, the question is, did congress approve or commission these? If not, which I don't believe they did, doesn't that make these illegal? They have all of the markings for a legal tender coin, but aren't. And don't they need the word "copy" on them so the Secret Service doesn't get upset? Anyone got answers?
A couple of points. They have been around, cataloged, bought and sold for over 20 years. If the secret service was going to get all testy about them, they would have by now. I don't think their backlog is that long. Besides, some youngblood would have taken up the cause to make a name for himself don't you think? The Hejda nickel was created in London England. I think they have different laws over there. Scotland Yard and Interpol have been silent on them as well. American numismatic organizations seem to have accepted them. PCGS is slabbing them, CoinWorld articles written . . . Z