Another newp, type set album. 1804-1960

I've made yet another controversial "raw" purchase. However, this is probably my best yet. 52 coins in 2 albums. I have a hunch that 9-10 of them have been lightly cleaned. 3-4 of those are very obviously cleaned but the other ones are harder to tell. Of these pictures it will be obvious which ones have the hairlines (some pictures with hairlines are from scratches on the "window"). Got a pretty good deal on them. And even though one of the 3-Cent Silver pieces is supposed to be a 1968 in EF+, it turned out to be an 1859 EF+ (which is still nice, just not AS nice). Let me know what you guys think... There are quite a few pictures!

 

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Love type coins! Thanks for sharing!!

 

Last post of pictures. I LOVE the tone on the 1859!

 

Love the details on the 1853 and 1859 quarters, and that's a pretty nice looking 1804 half cent, but that 1810 large cent I'd say is the prize here. Looks like a nice solid cent to me! Awesome pickup!

 

Why would you say that? Even over the 1804 Half Penny? The 1810 is far from the most valuable or the most rare.

 

If there's one thing I learned from putting a 7070 together, it's that rarity of mintage means nothing except in prices. I have an 1804 half cent as well and it was a he11 of a lot easier to find than a classic head large cent, no matter the grade. Only one shop in town had one, and it was almost smooth, but I had my pick of draped bust half cents in a variety of grades. Every show in the area showed the same results. So I say that because for me the classic head large cent was a pain to even find, let alone in any decent shape.

 

Love the seated quarter w/ rays! Been looking to pick one up for a while now. Nice set!

 

Very interesting. I was fortunate enough to pickup this set from someone on ebay who didn't have great pictures in the listing so I got the whole thing for a nice price (even with all the cleaned coins)

It would be pretty close to flawless without that giant gouge in the shield on the reverse. It looks like someone took a metal nail and drug it across diagonally. Thanks for the compliment and I'm definitely excited about the set!

Trying to decide if I should bother sending anything to PCGS, I have a pretty good idea of grades / value and the only one I would REALLY want to send in is the Capped Bust Quarter. However, it is fairly harshly cleaned / whizzed. The 1859 3-cent silver would be interesting to see grade, but I don't know if it is really worth it value wise. I believe the 20-cent piece would be a good one to consider. It doesn't look cleaned to me and I think it would grade a solid EF+. Any input?

*Edit*
Actually, I wouldn't say the 1836 CBQ is "harshly" cleaned, but possibly lightly cleaned... and slightly possible not at all, hairlines look like they COULD be natural... However I've noticed two significant die breaks. Obverse: There is one one her cheek going almost straight up, there is another going diagonally up above her ear and through the R in Liberty. Reverse: From the rim at about 1 o'clock all the way down through the coin to about 7 o'clock. Is this a die "variety" or just a die break? I don't have a guide for all the minor varieties, just the cherry pickers guide. Is there a resource to check these coins other than buying all the books?



Thanks!

 

I would say most were cleaned, even harshly cleaned, including the CBQ. Trust me, that quarter has been scrubbed, and there is no possibility that it is "natural". Even if it weren't, it would be in a details slab due to damage.

Not trying to throw your coins under the bus, just being real. I bought coins like this starting out as well. Nothing wrong with them, but you simply need to be realistic on what you own. Its hard, I know, when you own coins you have a tendency to see them in a better light than they are. I went through my US coins after about 3 years of not collecting them, and marked down the grades on the flips by a full grade on about half of them. Time away and maturity allowed me to see them for what they were, and not what I wished they were.

Just my opinion.

Chris

 

You're partly right, of the ones I posted "most" of them were cleaned. In the whole set I count about 9 or 10 (which is less than a quarter of them). I am realistic about what they are, book value on the grades I've determined would make them worth about 4.25x what I paid total if NONE of them were cleaned. However, even if the cleaned coins are worth a quarter of book (which the detailed ones are probably worth a bit more) then I'd say that the value of these is still 2-2.5x what I paid. I'm happy with that. Of the ones I post, I don't believe the 1853 Quarter (Rays & Arrows) or the 1875-S coin is cleaned. The 3 cent silvers don't look cleaned and only one of the capped bust half-dimes looks possibly cleaned (the better details one). None of the non-silver coins look cleaned to me, and I'm not sure how to tell if the copper ones are as I'm not sure if what I'm looking for is the same. (Note that on the half cent and large cent I posted, all those scratches are from the plastic sheet).

I understand not every coin I've bought is a winner. But I've been buying bigger lots and keeping the ones that I want. Since I'm new to the hobby, I'm kind of trying to get my hands on a little bit of everything to see what I really like. I'm sure at some point I will consolidate and start buying 1-2 coins at a time, but right now it's just fun to get a bunch of coins and research them, grade them, value them, learn about them, etc... Though I bet I seem like a crazy person to some of you (as well as my wife) and I'm sure the "Honeymoon Phase" will end soon

Thanks for the input though, I like hearing what everyone has to say.

 

I agree with you that it was a great buy. I know some people do this for the money they can make, and we all would like to make some I'm sure, but it sounds like you thoroughly enjoy the coins and that's what a hobby truly is to me. I completed my 7070 simply for the history. It taught me more about US coinage through the years than I would have ever learned on my own and I'm sure that's what this set is doing for you. It leads you many interesting places so just sit back and enjoy the ride!

BTW, whats the ring on the plastic of the better looking 3c silver?

 

Fair enough, I was not questioning your purchase sir, just your assertion on whether cleaned or not. BTW I think the 3 centers were scrubbed too.