1859-o seated liberty dollar

I just bought this coin and wasn't sure if it was cleaned or not. Here is the picutre of it.

 

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Doesn't look harshly cleaned to me... harshly dipped, yes.

 

how do you know that it was dipped.

 

lack of luster... could be the pic,, but the coin doesn't appear to reflect light well, like a new coin. Coins that have been dipped excessively look duller.

 

Can I email you a better scan, so you can see how it really looks. I paid alot of money for it and have 7 days to return it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

I'm not sure how well scanners capture luster, if at all. Some of the other members of the forum are probably better at grading a scanned coin than I. If you have a digital camera, that should capture a better pic that you could post.

 

Scanners don't pick up luster. However, mustang, I would return it unless one of the experts on here can verify that it's real. I'm assuming that you bought it on eBay (hence the 7 day return) and almost all raw Seated Liberties on eBay are fake.

 

OK ill send it back. thanks.

 

Don't send it back just yet. Wait for some more opinions.

 

I agree,, give it a day for the lions of the forum to weigh in.... I'm a cub.. There are some high end experts lurking on the forum that can provide more exacting opinion on this coin if they come across this thread in time..... if not, and from what I see, and assuming you paid big $ for it,, then my cub butt says sent it back unless you can get it verified as a good pick up from an expert in the forum, or your local dealer.

I can say that they will want a good scan of the coin,, front and back. Go ahead and post those if you can.

 

I was going to get it graded, but not sure if i even want to keep it. Thanks.

 

Anyone else who can give me an expert opinion. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

 

You're going to need to post better images of both surfaces. Many raw Trade Dollars on eBay are counterfeit. Seated Dollars have not been hit with nearly the quantity of fakes as Trade Dollars. Can you post a link to the auction?

 

Here is the ebay item number. Thanks
260672734579

 

dipped - i cant really say. misleading ebay description - yes. that coin would come back as cleaned (not ms60) by ANY reputable TPG. hairlines are all over the place. as to what you payed being worth it i dont know. its got excellent details but those lines would turn off alot of buyers.

 

Here's his eBay auction

I'm no expert either, but it looks like it could be genuine, although the 5 looks a little weird? Not sure if they had different variations for the '5' during those years, but that one definitely looks a bit odd. Again, I could be completely wrong.

If we assume it's real, it still doesn't appear (at least to me) to be MS, I'd estimate it's probably an AU, and in that case you overpaid a bit. Judging by the little curved scratches, I'm guessing it's been cleaned/buffed. All in all, I'd toss that fish back but, as others mentioned about themselves before, I'm just a newbie and my advice should only be imbued with what power you see fit.

 

Did you buy it with the intent to resell or keep ? If it's a good price for something to add to your holdings, it may not be good enough of a price for resale. However, seldom are you going to find that, as it seems to be what everyone is looking for.

 

Looks cleaned to me from the pics in the auction... somewhat harshly. I'd never spend that much money for a coin on ebay unless it was in a slab. If it were me, I'd send it back, save up another $1,000 and look for one that's certified.... I just don't think you'll find many of these coins in raw condition, with no problems, in MS grade, and selling for 50%+ discount to retail......

 

The coin looks genuine, AU and, at the very least, dipped (possibly/probably cleaned more harshly than that). Coins from that era are virtually never color-free, unless they have been dipped or otherwise cleaned.

Frankly, if you couldn't tell that it has been dipped (and aren't a very good grader/authenticator), you have no business buying expensive, uncertified coins, especially of this type, which are commonly counterfeited.

You should return it and quit looking for bargains. If you keep doing that, you are likely to bury yourself in bad deals, thinking or hoping you have gotten good ones.

 

The first show I went to, I was blown away by one dealer's stock of beautiful 19th century coins. I was disappointed because I hadn't brought enough money to purchase any from him. A month later after reading a lot of the threads here, I returned to the show and realized that that particular dealer's coins were all whizzed and that was why they looked so nice to my uneducated eye.

I sighed with relief when I thought about the mistake I could have made the month before. This was one dealer who wasn't a collector and there just to flog a collection he wound up with. I would have been stuck with overpriced undesirable coins had I bought them.

Take your time. Read and learn. It'll save you a lot of grief and money.