THE IKE GROUP
The Ike Group is composed of five individuals from various professions, all with a compelling interest in the Eisenhower Dollar. All members have had long time collecting interest in the Eisenhower series, and have all come together to form an alliance which is devoted to promoting the collectability of the series. Each member brings unique traits to the group, which in turn has spurred a great number of research projects (almost too many projects…) related to the Eisenhower series.
OUR MEMBERS
Brian Vaile teaches science in middle school to rowdy 14 year olds in central Florida, an interesting place to live come hurricane season (…”I parked the canoes in the garage so they wouldn’t become missiles…”). To stay in shape for his school duties, he keeps any eye out for snakes in the Florida swamps. Brian has a remarkable talent: as he walks down bourse isles, valuable unrecognized Ike varieties practically leap off their tables and into his hands. For many years Brian has studied and amassed what’s probably the largest Ike error collection of its kind.
Andy Oskam is a casting engineer by trade, and is in charge of operations for a foundry in Pennsylvania. His experience with metals and metallurgy has bridged a gap when searching for answers to the making of Eisenhower dies by the U.S. Mint. Some of his work includes actual measurement of Ike surfaces to determine die design/variety manufacturing origins, as well as spectral analysis of dies to determine alloy. This path lead him to be the first in numismatics to publicly suggest that some Peg Leg Ikes were a product of hubbing as opposed to the traditional hypothesis that all were created by die abrasion. He has also had Eisenhower dollar articles published for several major media outlets, and is a recipient of 2 CONECA literary awards.
Steve Palladino is a practicing foot and ankle surgeon in California. He also has a background in academics – teaching and scientific research, with over 25 published research papers and textbook chapters. He brings his penchant for a scientific approach to discovery, learning, and education to the Ike Group. His focus has been cataloging the mint mark placement of as many DIVAs as he can get his hands on. He is an avid Eisenhower dollar collector, owning the all time finest PCGS Eisenhower Dollar Complete Proof Variety Set as of January 2014, as well as an awesome showcase set of Peg Leg Eisenhower Dollars.