5100

1937-D 5C Three-Legged MS66 NGC. An outstanding Premiu

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:5,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1937-D 5C Three-Legged MS66 NGC. An outstanding Premiu
<B>1937-D<5C> Three-Legged MS66 NGC.</B></I> An outstanding Premium Gem example of this important and popular variety. The Three-Legged variety is a die state resulting from over-polishing of the reverse die in an attempt to remove clash marks. When Buffalo nickels were being struck at the Denver Mint in 1937, one pair of dies came together without an intervening planchet. The damaged dies were then removed from the press and the reverse die was resurfaced (various terms include lapped, polished, repolished, etc.) to remove the clash marks. During this process, which removed a minute layer of metal from the surface of the die, the bison's front right leg was also removed. In a discussion of this variety in his <I>Complete Encyclopedia,</B></I> Walter Breen attributed the improper die refinishing to a new Denver Mint employee by the name of Mr. Young: "At the time of the 1937 accident, the pressman (a Mr. Young), then a newcomer, was under pressure to complete a quota, so instead of replacing a pair of clashed dies he took an emery stick and ground off the clash marks, in the process removing the bison's foreleg and weakening many other details."<BR> In <I>The Complete Guide to Buffalo Nickels,</B></I> David Lange recorded the text of a commentary by coin dealer Aubrey Bebee that appeared in the December 1943 issue of <I>The Numismatic Scrapbook</B></I>: "Maurice Gould is undoubtedly correct in his assumption that Montana was the main 'stamping ground' of the 3-legged Buffaloes. While touring the West for several months in 1939, we stopped at Bozeman, Montana, for several days, where Mrs. Bebee and I had the great pleasure of meeting Harold C. White, who informed us of the existence of this freak. I bought several of these nickels from Mr. White, as I doubted that I would be able to find any as late as 1939. However, the next day I went to the banks there and from four $50.00 bags found about 3