Variety questions- 1964 AH Kennedy, 1971-D Ike Dollar

[cmerlo1-migration]

I'm giving a presentation on cherrypicking varieties to the Capital City Coin Club here in Austin next week. I've decided to talk about varieties that have a different story, rather than the typical DDO, RPM, RPD types. Two of the coins I'm using are the 1964 AH Kennedy Half, and the 1971-D RDV-006 Ike dollar. What I need to know is:

 

Is it true that the hair on the Kennedy half was changed because Mrs. Kennedy didn't like the way it looked on the coin she was given? Any other info on this, or the real story (if this isn't it) would really help a lot.

 

I seem to remember a quote from an Astronaut about not liking the Ike dollar reverse because the eagle didn't look mean enough...is this true?

 

I can spot both of these varieties a mile away, and have examples of both to pass around- I just thought it would be cool to have a little more information...

 

Thanks for the help!

 

--Christian

 

[bsshog40]

After approximately 120,000 coins were produced, the dies were revised and the hair smoothed slightly. Jacqueline Kennedy was thought to have disliked the earlier, "accented hair" version (as it came to be known), although the lower relief design might have also have been introduced to facilitate production.

 

Don't know about an astronauts response, but here is a small description of the Ike. The RDV-006 was made when a pattern reverse die was shipped to the Denver mint and used to produce business strikes for circulation. It is characterized by connected islands by Florida on the Earth, differences in the moon craters, and an eagle that lacks the angled brow 'scowl' that the regular dies have. It is because of this that the variety is known as the 'Friendly Eagle Variety'.

 

 

 

 

 

[WoodenJefferson]

From Coin Facts: Reportedly, one of the two proposed reverse designs (probably the Apollo XI image, given its implications for the world's future) originally featured an eagle whose expression the U.S. State Department feared other nations would interpret as hostile. Whether the eagle which ultimately did appear on the coin's reverse is a "friendly" bird is difficult to ascertain from its neutral expression.

 

I remember this happening with the Ike dollar during the "Cold War" years....my how things have changed.

[CHABSENTIA]

I have read several articles including one in Coin World that Mrs Kennedy did not like the accented hair and that the design was stopped after about 120,000 coins.

 

I can be sure but I seem to remember somewhere that the other design \was not used because it might be looked upon as being hostile or aggressive to other Nations both because of the desogn and Eisenhowers previous postion as a General and ETO Commander in WWII

[19Lyds]

Christian, do you have a copy of the Numismatist article on the FEV? If not, send me your email and I'll forward some scans to you.

[cmerlo1-migration]

Thanks for all the great responses. I do have the Numismatist article...I also have some pretty good pics of both varieties that I plan on using...I think this is going to be a fun presentation for everyone. I'm also covering Buffalo nickel abraded dies, type B and C Washies, and some Morgans- micro O mint marks, 1921 so-called Zerbie dies (VAM-1) and some of the dot varieties from various years.