Wisconsin State Quarter Varieties | High-Leaf vs. Low-Leaf

Unless you are an avid coin collector you may not be aware, but there are unique varieties on some of the new coins from the U.S. Mint. These rare varieties carry with them a higher value and will have you checking your loose change. In this specific article we will be talking about the 2004-D Wisconsin State Quarter.

Unlike other varieties created by die-errors, the Wisconsin State Quarter varieties do not seem to be mere striking errors. Although we may never know the exact origin of how these varieties came to be, there is no doubt that these varieties were created as a result of accidental or deliberate modification to the obverse dies. Some respected names in the Numismatic community believe the alternate dies could’ve been created by a phenomenon called a “hub-through.” This is where a semi-circular piece of metal debris becomes caught between the hub and the blank die. This piece of metal causes an impression in the die which would create the raised “leaf” pattern that we see in the Wisconsin varieties. However, the location of the die modification as well as the fact that both varieties look like an extra leaf on a corn stalk is very suspicious. We may be looking at an extreme example of coincidence or we could be looking at the personal work of a Mint employee.

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Wisconsin Quarter – Standard Variety

 

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Wisconsin Quarter – High-Leaf Variety

 

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Wisconsin Quarter – Low-Leaf Variety

If you do happen to stumble across one of these varieties, don’t use them in the vending machine. They are more rare than the regular variety and carry with them a slight premium!

Happy hunting!