Beautiful "Semi Key Date" Standing Liberty

[bigfootokie]

Thanks PCJoe for taking me to one of your favorite spots. It's always a pleasure hunting with you.


I had a tough day of detecting with that GIANT 17" coil but it paid off with my one and only good find...a semi key date 1917-D Standing Liberty Quarter in VF-25 (Very Fine) condition. I rarely find SLQ's, and usually it's tough to even see a date when I do, but this one is special and valued at $125 plus, according to my coin book and the coin dealer that graded it for me.


I recovered it in a spot where Joe said there may have been a thousand or more detectors used over the years. She was patiently waiting for me, I suppose.


This was the toughest good find I have ever made. I detected up on this spot from the SW and heard a tiny little high tone chirp. I swung my coil across the spot several times and only heard it again a time or two. I circled around it and never heard it again until I was back facing the NE. Once again, only an occasional faint chirp.


I started focusing on the numbers and depth each time I heard it and noticed the depth was always 10-12 inches. The numbers were bad and jumpy, but always in the penny range so I thought maybe I had a deep Indian Head which would have been really cool with me.


I pinpointed and dug a good sized plug 7" deep. Checked and the target was still in the hole. Got no signal from my handheld pinpointer so I dug another 4" plug out of the bottom and checked again. This time I pinpointed a signal from the left side of the hole about 9" below ground level which was actually 11" below grass level.


I dug out the side of the hole and laid it out on the grass. The dirt broke up and there it was, a shiny silver rim caked with dirt on both sides. Took it over to show Joe and removed just enough dirt to see Liberty's feet and waited until the end of our hunt to rinse it off. Man was I shocked!!!


Apparently it was on edge and not laid flat. That is why it didn't pinpoint in the center of the hole, give good numbers, and had not been found before.


This is what it's all about in my book...finding the tough ones everyone else has missed.

 

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[doninbrewster]

NICE coin! Awesome condition for a SLQ.

 

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[Owassokie]

Congrats Bigfoot. That is an awesome find!

 

[Blueblood]

Great looking coin! I might have passed it up too with a penny reading. Good job!

 

[bigfootokie]

Thanks to all who replied...and thanks to all that read my post. This was a really special find for me.

 

[Millerthebugkiller]

Awesome !! Still on my list

 

[jewelerguy]

man that is beautiful

 

[poorman15]

very interesting and great find!

 

[bigfootokie]

Many of us have found SLQ's which had pretty good detail but no visible date. The reason why is below in the history I am posting. There are other interesting facts as well. Thought some of you might enjoy reading this.


History of Standing Liberty Quarter
By Keith Scott

The radical change in our coinage that was taking place in the early 20th century was not quite done by 1916. With the new Lincoln cent and Buffalo nickel now in circulation, and changes to gold coinage, it was now time for a change in silver, specifically, the dime, quarter and half dollar to undergo a facelift and eliminate the uninteresting Barber designs. In late 1915 a design competition was announced to replace the designs on the dime, quarter and half dollar. In 1916, Mint Director Robert Woolley told Mint Chief Engraver Charles Barber that Hermon Atkins MacNeil's design had been accepted for the quarter and that MacNeil would be visiting the Mint to obtain information about preparing the needed relief models. As Walter Breen writes in his book entitled Complete Encyclopedia of U.S and Colonial Coins, "Barber was as usual, completely uncooperative." Assistant engraver George Morgan, who would later become chief engraver upon Barber's death, was apparently more helpful. In late May of 1916, with Morgan's help, MacNeil's models that could be used for fie preparation were approved.

The first Standing Liberty Quarter coins came of the Philadelphia presses on December 16, 1916 and the series continued through 1930. A mere 52,000 pieces were minted in those last two weeks of 1916 and were released to the public along with 1917 dated coins in early 1917. Legend has it that shortly after the release there was a public outcry over the exposed right breast of Lady Liberty. Others complained that the small eagle looked like a pigeon. Whether this led to the design change is not well documented as there were also stacking issues with the Type I coins. In any event, the design was changed in 1917 to cover the right breast with chain-mail as well as minor changes to the back of the coin which moved three stars beneath the eagle, thereby raising and centering the eagle. Thus was born the Type II Standing Liberty Quarter.

After a few years in circulation it became apparent that the date was wearing off way to fast. Unlike the Buffalo Nickel, someone at the mint did make changes and in 1925, the date area was lowered as to be protected by the rim of the coin resulting longer wear on the date field. Thus was born Type III which many consider a subtype.

In production for only fifteen years, the Standing Liberty quarter suffered an early demise. 1932 marked the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth was introduced as a circulating commemorative which is still in circulation today.

 

[postalgriff]

beauty! congrats! One of my favorite coin designs, thanks for the history too.

 

[thrillathahunt]

VF25? I think you are being very conservative on the grade. Looks XF40 to me.