COIN OF THE
MONTH, THE FRIENDLY EAGLE VARIETY (FEV) (RDV-006)
INTRODUCTION The ike Group
believes that the FEV’s importance in the Eisenhower Dollar Series is second
only to the two 1972(P) TYPE 2 Ikes.
We’re posting the FEV as a Coin of the Month to keep this fascinating
Ike front and center.
This article
will begin with a summary and then move on to a detailed presentation of a very
rare early Very Early Die State
example.
1971-D FEV, SUMMARY
ESTIMATED MINTAGE -
200,000 – 300,000 (based on the number the Ike Group has cherried: we have
found no mint records of any kind that deal with the FEV).
DESCRIPTION - Common low relief 1971-D obverse paired with a
unique and very uncommon low relief reverse with 12 naked eye/loupe unique markers.
The FEV appears to be the initial low relief design intended for all low relief
1971 Ikes including a low relief 1971-S CuNi-clad proof, as indicated by the 5
to 10% of common 1971-D and FEV Ikes struck on proof planchets (no Annealing
Marks, brilliant proof-like reflectivity in all die states). Although the FEV
relief measurements are similar to the common 71-D reverse, early die states
show remarkable Earth details including a presumptive Apollo Re-Entry Vehicle
contrail at 10:30. 1% to 3% of FEV's have one of three DDO's: the most common
DDO is the DDO-001 and it's usually paired with a strong DDR .
MARKERS -(you might
want to pull out a common 71-D and compare its reverse to this list and the
pictures in FIGURES 1 thru 4 (key markers in bold):
---round Earth
---larger, round Gulf of Mexico
---Central America is more sinuous and Northwest mountains are more bulbous
---Florida points further to the South, almost toward the tip of the Eagle's
beak
---Caribbean islands are a string of connected bumps with one small island
suspended below
---Eagle has no "furrowed brow line"
---body, leg and left wing feathers unruffled as if the Eagle is at rest or at
least not attacking
---top two tail feathers have no in-relief separation
---debris lines on crater over second L of DOLLAR are fang-like and almost
frame that letter
---next crater to its right has a "boulder" that's separated from the
front wall of the crater
---the rim of the small crater furthest to the right is intact.
The IKE GROUP’s earlier summary article on the FEV is worth reading at this point: http://ikegroup.org/FEV.htm
FIGURE 1, FEV reverse
The FEV can be identified with some success even with poor photos (think eBay)
(FIGURE 2). Look for any 71-D Ike
with a round Earth, islands with no separation, and for something missing
between upper two tail feathers.
Sometimes Florida pointing almost toward the end of the Eagle's beak
instead of toward the beginning of the beak is a tip-off.
EFFECT OF DIE STATE - 75-85% of FEVs are found in VLDS (Very Late
Die State), and have coarse die-flow lines and mushy details yet
all of the above markers can still be discerned. The only important
detail that washes out as the reverse die ages is the Apollo 11 Re-Entry
Vehicle Contrail at 10:30 (the contrail becomes a dimple by late middle die
state and the dimple washes out somewhere in LDS) (photos of this image appear
later in this article).
FIGURE 2. Out of focus yet
this FEV can still be identified (and cherried!):
Earth is round
Florida
is pointing toward end of Eagle’s beak (use East side also)
Gulf
of Mexico appears enlarged and rounded
>>
Separation of top two tail feathers is
not emphasized
Believe me, Ike Group members have had a pretty good batting
average picking off FEV’s from poor photos on eBay. Not always easy and it does takes time to become familiar and
comfortable with the key FEV details but its fun and worthwhile.
We all had a several-week initial learning curve after
member David Golan first introduced us to this great Ike. Then it took several months of back and
forth between FEV in hand and photos on eBay and Teletrade, etc, to become
really facile and comfortable bidding on the basis of weak photos. The most fun I had was picking out a PCGS
MS65 1971-D being auctioned by DLRC that I could tell for sure was an FEV. Got it for wholesale price and it turned out
to be an early die-state DDO-DDR!
FIGURE 3. Note the absence
of in-relief separation lines between the two top tail feathers. Also, the longer fang-like debris flow lines
that almost frame the top of the second L of Dollar.
FIGURE 4. Round Earth,
string of islands and rounded Gulf of Mexico are key pick-up points. Note also the Apollo 11 Re-Entry Vehicle
Contrail hugging the Earth at 10:30.
AN FEV STRUCK WITH VIRGIN DIES (ie, in
early Very Early Die State)
Exceedingly rare, this FEV is an
interesting example of an Ike struck with virgin dies that shows us Gasparro’s
original FEV design.
Early VEDS (my term) is roughly the
first 0.05% of a die’s productive life (http://ikegroup.org/diestates.htm)
: the dies are essentially “virgin”
with all the imperfections brand new Ike dies are likely to show, including
thousands of microscopic die cracks, frothy transitions on some rapid relief
changes and some truly microscopic hub doubling - all of which flatten out
after something like 5 to 25 or maybe 100 strikes. In addition one may find other irregularities that account for
some of the fine reparative die abrasions we see on early die- state Ike’s with
no sign of clash.
As mentioned earlier, the IKE GROUP
believes the FEV’s reverse was the initial low relief reverse design intended
for all the 1971 Ike’s (except the 40% silver proof which had a different high
relief design), including a low relief CuNi-clad proof. In that regard the reddish full-face photo
that follows used side lighting through a lampshade to highlight the sides of
all the devices. Perhaps this lighting
shows how the FEV design might have appeared on a low relief proof. Note, for example, the perfectly
perpendicular inner rim edges consistent with a proof Ike and the sharpness of
all the small devices.
Then, three consecutive photos show the
microscopic die cracks as they become visible with increasing magnification.
Lastly, two parallel string-like
clusters of tiny metal globules over OL of DOLLAR. Bet these were abraded away early on (though sometime after this
particular FEV was struck). Have no
idea what caused them, do you? (Sumdunce, look familiar?)
Miniscule doubling on U (upper left
both arms), S (bottom of upper end) and
foot of R (great examples
of doubling visible only in early die state!).
Notice the
microscopic die cracks (lighting not good for islands) and the “froth” at
Florida’s southern border and up the East Coast.
This photo
may also help define the shape of Florida on the FEV. Curiously, it looks as it Gasparro may have attempted to widen
Florida by etching away at its Atlantic side.
This would have been done on the Master Die as one can not increase the
size of a device on a hub.
By the way,
if you’re looking for a way to “see” the FEV’s version of the Gulf of Mexico,
try to see the outline of a dancing Snoopy facing to the West (!).
The Contrail image at 10:30, we think Gasparro’s tribute to the Apollo
11 mission.
Note the
“Eagle Droppings” between the larger craters.
Increasing
magnification top to bottom to show the myriad die cracks, cracks that would
flatten out with the first few coins struck.
A few of the clustered globules over the OL of
DOLLAR. These globules look like
Lamont’s “Eagle Droppings”, LOL:
they’re even in roughly the same location, watcha think?
This FEV rests in its ANACS holder but eventually
I’ll crack it out for optimal photos for our book.
Any observations and feedback would be
appreciated; this Ike probably has a
lot more to teach us.
CONCLUSION: The FEV is unique, fascinating and richly deserves to be included
in any account of the Eisenhower Dollar Series.
Elsewhere on our Web Site:
Some FEV photos (I borrowed a few for
this article) including the sharply notched DDO/DDR FEV:
This is a
must-see article for anyone curious about the FEV, includes a set of photos of
an FEV that came out really well:
Here is a
photo of Lamont’s “Eagle Droppings” (71-S SB Ike):
