Hump Day Fun: Guess the chicken foot?

[keilg1]

As far as I can tell, this beautiful little PUP is not part of the official listing, but I find it fascinating. Well, to be fair, LVA did say it was but in a catch-all way.

Why do I like this so much? Just look at it? Perhaps it isn't as defined (and useful) as the foot of a real chicken, but it doesn't have many comparable siblings on other VAMs?

It's slabbed at a 58 so there is some PMD, but the field scratches are not from a previous scrub and the unique shape of the foot is from the die and not a hard life afterwards.

VAMWorld - guess the chicken foot Dec21.jpg (181.39 KiB) Viewed 3391 times

If you know, let others scratch their heads for a while... gnawing on potential answers like a tasty BBQ wing. Only after an appropriate amount of noodling and hunting should we throw them a bone to help?

Gary

[keilg1]

Over 50 views and no replies. Either I've stumped you - which I highly doubt; you're overwhelmed with higher priority stuff - which is likely; or you've taken my request to the extreme and this is a blindingly obvious PUP that everyone knows so no one is saying a word because nary a word needs to be said.

Ah well, I liked the idea of Hump Day Fun and the chicken focus to get us off on the right foot. Or is that the left foot? I can't tell.

Hope you've all been having a grand week wherever your own feet have been taking you.

Gary

[lured_in_again]

Count me as stumped, although it looks to me like the lower left part of the letter N of UNUM. Or similar to the doubled RIB of 78p

[Mike7E]

I really like the chicken foot N.
May I offer a turkey leg designer's initial.

Open 6 Rev M.jpg (107.75 KiB) Viewed 3322 times

[vampicker]

So I've got one of these too, complete with the die polish job illustrated. Not certain that makes it unique to a single VAM

[keilg1]

So I've got one of these too, complete with the die polish job illustrated. Not certain that makes it unique to a single VAM

That's the beauty of this beauty - and some hints for others: Used to have three additional siblings, then one was killed off, leaving it to be one of three. Well, at least by the more famous obverse. The reverse of this one doesn't apparently have any family members.

She might be termed a spicy one, too, as she's more a hot wing than a mild one, right?

A final couple of hints for the day: Many other parts of the obverse ain't pretty enough to be considered 'celebrities' - including this little one who looks to have been shot or had a bite taken out of him at some point:

VAMWorld - guess the chicken foot Dec21 poor star.jpg (129.64 KiB) Viewed 3295 times

A sibling of this one also looks rather unique and dealing with multiple personality disorder?

VAMWorld - guess the chicken foot Dec21 poor star relative.jpg (122.85 KiB) Viewed 3295 times

Neither of these are PMD, BTW.

Are ya closer to the solution?

[keilg1]

Count me as stumped, although it looks to me like the lower left part of the letter N of UNUM. Or similar to the doubled RIB of 78p

I like your thinking... on the right track, but we're dealing with a slightly different point of origin. Think west, young man?

[vampicker]

Thanks for this jog of the old memory. I was looking for a subject for my next 'About VAMs' column. Got it sitting on my desk right now. Pretty sizable void at the base of one of the wings. The polish job could be taken for heat.

[lured_in_again]

So if I get on route 6 or 22 and head west to the big red bridge back in 1878? LOL

[keilg1]

So if I get on route 6 or 22 and head west to the big red bridge back in 1878? LOL

As anyone who has journeyed there, and as Journey sung, tis a wonderful city by the bay...

I'll now admit I'm a gams man - what attracted me to my wife (but this doesn't mean I'm henpecked... just an observant bloke) - so looking at this little ditty was a shoe in for me, if you'll pardon the pun and not boot me out of the club. (Trust me, there are a lot more chicken sayings out there - one site I've found fun is from a 'farmgirl' just south of the red bridge: https://montereyfarmgirl.com/2018/06/26 ... n-sayings/; I promise I'll not use all of them here...)

I know some might consider this diversion as nit-picking and inconsequential, but I find studying what is beyond the necessary descriptions to be fascinating.

Yes, this is your typical 1878-S VAM-22. The relook at my coin was prompted by the recent post viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5933 by @78-sLongknock and his "VAM 11 surprise" (a wonderful read if you missed it). To me, the more we can look at the small details the more we learn and the more we can do proper die studies.

For example, if you've never seen the R and B of the famous RIB doubling up close, they're quite the mess:

A085 - 20211208_114552.jpg (116.28 KiB) Viewed 3223 times

A087 - 20211208_114702.jpg (117.54 KiB) Viewed 3223 times

What are commonly not show are things like the next U, but the fun doesn't stop with that letter - the E and PL are a mess (I'll not show them here):

A088 - 20211208_114725.jpg (116.13 KiB) Viewed 3223 times

Finally, the variety descriptor says "Second 8 tripled at left inside of upper loop" but unless you've seen it, it is hard to imagine it, so here it is:

A109 - 20211208_121930.jpg (97.09 KiB) Viewed 3223 times

Thanks all for playing along. Hopefully this was a bit enlightening and satiated a bit of your hunger for knowledge. I don't apologize if it made you a bit hungry for KFC or your local wing shop - please support local businesses as you can!?