1927 Peace Dollar: Please Grade and Educate Me

I just bought a Peace dollar as MS60. I paid about 70 bucks for it. When I received it, I thought it may have been undergraded, because it did not have any major hits except one on the back (I have ordered slabbed coins before so I have an idea about what the grades should be). Then I looked at it under a light and noticed it had hairlines as if it had been brushed with a cloth or some mildly abrasive item.

This looks like a great coin, except when one notices the hairlines that are reflected off of light. Here are pictures: one at an angle that makes it look like an MS63, and the other with light which I think captures some of the hairlines.

My question is: is this coin a legit MS60? Or do the hairlines relegate the coin as damaged, despite the eye appeal and BU details?

To the left the hairlines may be noticed. To the right one can see the details are exceptional, and without the hairlines I would imagine the grade would be very high. Mind you, the reverse seems to be OK, with the exception of a small nick on the eagle's head, but otherwise the eagle is fine.

 

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The first picture has a lot of glare and the second picture is not very good. You also didn't provide a picture of the reverse. In the first picture it looks like the coins has a decent amount of scratches, maybe from cleaning. Unless that is the holder that is scratched. But with those pictures it's hard to give a fair opinion.

 

No, that is not a holder. The problem is that the scratches cannot be detected without careful examination. They are just not obvious. I will post a picture of the reverse.

 

In spite of some cartwheel luster on that first pic, I would have to say it was cleaned at one point. The hairlines suggest that. The second pic doesn't help out anymore, maybe confirms the cleaning a lot more.

 

OK, here are I think better pictures.

I think one of these pics really captured the hairlines.

 

This makes me feel as though I got taken by the online dealer. It was obviously cleaned, and correct me if I am wrong, but I think cleaning to that extent makes it damaged. How much would this be worth?

 

I think the admin once said that it may be worthwhile buying slabbed coins online, and for sure I've gotten excellent deals on eBay with slabbed coins. Of course one must be selective there. One just cannot trust raw coins that are sold online.

 

That stinks, cleaned to that point will generally knock it down to "melt" value unfortunately. And the 27's are a tough date, so that makes the taste more sour. I would suggest buying slabbed examples of your favorite dates to ensure the quality you will be getting. Additionally, if you are going to consider raw examples, I would go to a coin show or shop to look at the coins in person. You will see immediately the difference between cleaned/polished/original surfaces. Trust me, it will be good practice for you.

 

Thanks. I don't know if I should mention the dealer, because it would bring bad publicity. Yet maybe people here should be warned about him. I found his website while searching on Google. I will email him and express my thoughts. If they **** me off, maybe I should publicize the name.

 

People wonder why young people are hesitant to get into coin collecting. Well, I am under the average age. It's not easy to appreciate a hobby that is filled with so many shady characters. And let's be honest, this hobby is shadier than most. Still, I'm a stacker and I will trudge along.

 

Actually, since I used Paypal for the purchase, I'm probably protected. I will send this sucker back for sure.

 

I wouldn't bad mouth the guy. If he was advertising BU or UNC Peace dollars, I would certainly reach out to him and maybe strike out a deal. Refund, exchange or etc. The last thing you want is a defamation strike if the dealer is a user or comes across this thread. Just try communicating first and see what options are on the table.

 

Yeah, good idea. It was sold as MS. But frankly, this was deception plain and simple, and it was clearly in bad faith. Coin dealers are not stupid, and they know when a coin is MS and when it is not. I will refrain from badmouthing him for now though, even though a part of me thinks this should be a learning experience for the newbs here.

 

Polished as heck.

 

OK, here is my dilemma. I removed it from the holder, but there was no way for me to properly grade the coin without taking it out, so according to this dealer the return policy is void. This makes no sense. I will still try to work something out.

 

Does anyone here have any suggestions?

 

OK, I have disputed this with Paypal and sent the owner an email. We will see. If the dealer does not work with me, I will be sure to publicize it since newbies to the hobby deserve to be warned about the pitfalls involved.

 

OK, I want to show the photo as it was advertised, so people can learn from this type of deception. Here is the picture as advertised, which can be compared to the earlier ones:

 

Actually, newbies to the hobby do themselves a disservice by not buying the book(s) before the coins.

Educating yourself before making a purchase, especially one from eBay where you're buying based on pics and not having the coin in hand, is key to this hobby, as well as other hobbies.

 

Move on and just take this situation as an expensive lesson.