PICS ADDED!!! 1952 bugs bunny Franklin PROOF discovered. Will be in CPG Vol. 6

[AHFreak]

I found the first known bugs bunny on a FRANKLIN PROOF! 1952 Franklin proof, with bugs bunny die clash! Bill Fivaz said the clash on this coin is every bit as obvious as the 1955 b.s. bugs bunny Franklin!!!

 

 

I found the coin a week before last and sent it to Bill Fivaz a couple days later. He verified/authenticated it and assigned it FS#. He photographed it, and then sent it off for certification. He also wrote a short article about it and sent the article to Coin World, Numismatic News, and Errorscope. Not sure when they will be published, but I would imagine it will be fairly soon.

 

He sent me a copy of what he wrote and in the article Bill says, "The clashmarks at the mouth from the eagle's wing on the reverse are every bit as strong as the 1955 business strike and because the discovery coin is an early strike from the clashed dies (its somewhat frosted on both obverse and reverse) it is NAKED EYE obvious!"

 

He assigned it FS-50-1952-403 and said the new discovery will be in the up and coming Vol. 6 of the Cherry Pickers Guide.

 

 

[BillJones]

So far as know there are none, and it is doubtful that there are any.

 

The "Bugs Bunny" fangs were caused by a die clash. They were marks that were made on the obverse die when the two dies came together without a planchet (coin blank) between them.

 

What you see are parts of the tiny eagle's wing design details that happen to hit Franklin in the mounth when the dies came together. Such errors are very rare on U.S. Proof coins. The Phildelphia mint made an effort at that time keep such errors from occurring on Proof coins. The biggest problem in those days was a lack of design detail which came as a result of excessive die polishing.

[AHFreak]

Thanks for that info Bill.... So, it does sound "in theory" that it would be possible for a bugs bunny Franklin proof to exist.. lets say it were a 1952 bugs bunny Franklin proof to be exact....

 

In your opinion would that be something worth having attributed and/or talking about? What about value? I understand that the bugs bunny Franklins were fairly popular shortly after being discovered, but the excitement has died down since and other than your most fanatical Franklin collectors is not really a big deal.... That said, would a bugs bunny proof, where there may be only one known currently be something that would get anyone excited? Just looking for opinions of course..... based on a hypothetical.....

 

(ALTHOUGH FOR THE RECORD, I DID FIND ONE LAST NIGHT... 100% BUGS BUNNY, 1952 PROOF FRANKLIN. FAIRLY BOLD, I PICKED IT UP WITH MY NAKED EYE, STUCK OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB).....

[Coindude]

Bill I thought the same until I saw the photo of the coin in question.

 

[physics-fan3.14]

Yes, in theory it is perfectly plausible that a proof Franklin could display the Bugs Bunny. You don't typically see die clashes on proof coins, which is probably why there are none known.

 

Collectors get very excited about the Bugs Bunny, and many of these go for large sums (PCGS designates a wide range of dates, some of which are quite rare). A proof example would surely be noteworthy.

 

Coindude - is that a picture of AHFreak's coin? Do you have it, or does AHFreak? Whoever has the coin - Can you take more pictures? I'd like to see the fangs lit more clearly. I would also like to see the area right behind Franklin's head, and the area around the eagle on the reverse.

 

Interesting find!

[AHFreak]

Hey physics fan. ... yes that is my coin, I took that pic with my smart phone and texted it to Sam and then he posted it for me. There is a local coin show here this weekend and theRe is a very knowledgeable error/variety dealer at this show. I showed him this coin, he said it is 100% for sure a die clash. He said that because of how they minted proofs back then that a die clash on a Franklin proof would be extremely unlikely. He pointed out the reverse where there was evidence of the clash, which I'd have never noticed before he pointed it out, but you can see it with the naked eye, because it's a proof, the irregularity on the surface lights right up when u tilt and rotate it to view.

 

I'm assuming you want to see pics of the reverse to see if you can detect evidence of the clash on the reverse. .. the evidence is there.

 

the coin is on its way to Bill Fivaz to be photographed so he can publish an article in CoinWorld. He will authenticate it, assign the FS# and then he is sending it to be graded Before it will come back to me. So unfortunately I can't get you more pictures right now.

 

Anyways, after learning about the Bugs bunny Franklins having their own registry set, and just how popular they are among enthusiasts, I am excited about this coin. From the very first time I picked up a CPG and started reading it I made it a personal goal to discover a variety that gets someone excited or is otherwise noteworthy.

 

I'll post a follow up after I hear back from Mr. Fivaz about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[physics-fan3.14]

That's awesome! Congrats on your find. Yes, that is why I wanted to see the reverse pictures.

 

I can't wait to hear more about it once you get all the official stamps of approval!

[telephoto1-migration]

Nice find! Also, I am impressed with the image quality from your smartphone. What model?

[RWB]

A word of caution -- the posted photo has been altered in contrast and specifically white values, and edge delineation of the forehead. To me, the fangs look unusually sharp, and I'd want to see a much higher quality image before making any preliminary conclusions.

 

(Not suggesting anything nefarious -- just pointing out image discrepancies.)

[AHFreak]

Hey Roger, that's quite the assessment. I took that photo, with my smart phone and my loupe as stated earlier. No tricks, no adjustments of contrast, delinerization or other. Just so you know my friend, I am nowhere near smart enough to do any of those things.. I can't pronounce some of those words nor do I know what they mean.

 

As far as those fangs.... they are unusually sharp huh? It's mind boggling that a coin like that goes unnoticed for 60+ years. The coin is without question a bugs bunny, one that is quite strong and the first known to be discovered on a proof Franklin. Bill Fivaz agreed. he currently has the coin, has done whatever he does to get it assigned a FS #, and is sending it to grade. He also photographed it, and is writing an article about it for coin world. apparently he still uses film so his photo will have less discrepancies I'm sure of it.

 

Check your proof Franklins for the bugs bunny clash. I can't imagine there is only one.

[RWB]

The highlights on the left are burned in, there are cyan color blotches in the upper left, and considerable differences in sharpness of adjacent areas, among other things. I don't know what alterations the cell phone software automatically makes. To me, the photo has discrepancies that raise questions.

 

I am not suggesting anything intentional - only pointing out that a much better photo is necessary to make an accurate assessment. Bill Fivaz will certainly have fun with this one.

[coinman1794]

A word of caution -- the posted photo has been altered in contrast and specifically white values, and edge delineation of the forehead. To me, the fangs look unusually sharp, and I'd want to see a much higher quality image before making any preliminary conclusions.

 

(Not suggesting anything nefarious -- just pointing out image discrepancies.)

 

I don't understand why you would think the teeth are too sharp, there are many very sharp Bugs Bunny clashes. Also, the photograph shows green glare from the lighting conditions, and the reflective luster and differences in texture lead to the irregular appearance. That said, the teeth are not properly in focus.

 

This is an exciting find, and the only Proof I have ever seen with what appears to be a Bugs Bunny clash. As someone who has basically made the market for these, that is saying something. I would love to examine it.

 

 

[Coindude]

Congrats on the discovery Chris. This should bring a lot of excitement to the Bugs variety collectors.

[AHFreak]

Thanks SAM. I appreciate you posting that pic for me a couple weeks ago.

 

[RWB]

That's excellent! Nice discovery and confirmation. (You win a week's supply of carrots! "Eeehh, What's up, Doc?")

[AHFreak]

Nice find! Also, I am impressed with the image quality from your smartphone. What model?

 

didn't see this. I use a Samsung Galaxy S5. I continue to be amazed by the quality of the camera. For the picture that was posted in this thread, I actually held my loupe right up to the lense, and took the photo that way.

[AHFreak]

That's excellent! Nice discovery and confirmation. (You win a week's supply of carrots! "Eeehh, What's up, Doc?")

 

Thank you Roger. When I first bought the CPG a few years ago, I began to read it and decided within minutes that I would make it a goal of mine to make a discovery that becomes noteworthy enough to get collectors excited, and make it into the CPG....

 

I have had a great time with this experience.

 

Bill Fivaz is a very nice guy by the way (for anyone who didn't know).

[VDBCoins]

Congratulations AHFreak, that is a fantastic find!

 

Best Regards,

 

George

[AHFreak]

Congratulations AHFreak, that is a fantastic find!

 

Best Regards,

 

George

Thank you kindly George!

[WoodenJefferson]

The press operator must have nodded off during their shift, as weren't the proof planchets fed into the press one at a time? (resulting in operator error)

 

Nice find!

[AHFreak]

Yes... I cant figure it out either... The proofs back then were all done one at a time, totally by hand!

 

 

[Nutmeg Coin]

This one should be a home run/grand slam for the guy who gets it into auction.

[wdrob]

This one should be a home run/grand slam for the guy who gets it into auction.

 

I would imagine that very same thing -- but on a more interesting note:

 

Congrat's on the find. I have been watching this thread and was hoping that it would come back for you as a discovery coin, as it indeed seems to have.

 

Chris, how does it feel to be immortalized and your name forever associated with the discovery?

 

Silly question; you without a doubt must be elated!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nutmeg Coin]

Here is a quick example of why top auctions may be the way to go on rarities; I was speaking with Mr. Bacca ("Heads and Tails" coins) today who had a $50 Territorial slug graded by NGC as AU50. The coin was shopped around for six months the highest offers were under $40K at the FUN show; so he gives it to Stacks to run at Baltimore and it hit around $55K with the auction premium. They had put it on the cover of their catalog. I'm not saying there is any magic solution to get top dollar but for high demand items major auctions are probably the way to go.

[wdrob]

 

I will respond in a new thread. (thumbs u

 

 

[coinman_23885]

Very neat discovery piece! I hope you have it labeled as such.

[coinman_23885]

This one should be a home run/grand slam for the guy who gets it into auction.

 

OP, if you do decide to sell, my advice is to sell it after the Coin World and/or Numismatic News article on it. If you succeed in creating enough hype, Nutmeg could be correct even though the market is pretty soft at the moment on many coins.

[coinman_23885]

Here is a quick example of why top auctions may be the way to go on rarities; I was speaking with Mr. Bacca ("Heads and Tails" coins) today who had a $50 Territorial slug graded by NGC as AU50. The coin was shopped around for six months the highest offers were under $40K at the FUN show; so he gives it to Stacks to run at Baltimore and it hit around $55K with the auction premium. They had put it on the cover of their catalog. I'm not saying there is any magic solution to get top dollar but for high demand items major auctions are probably the way to go.

 

Doesn't Stacks-Bowers charge a seller's fee + 17.5% buyer's fee? If so, he might end up in the low 40k range anyway.

[johnny9434]

nice catch

[mumu]

It's amazing and awesome that major new things like this can still be discovered.