Hi all! Thinking about purchasing the following coin, I was wondering how much I should spend and if it'd be worth getting graded and what you think it might grade as. Thanks for any input!
Probably F-12 or so if it's real. I have my doubts; the denticles are pretty sharp for there to be so much wear on the rest of the coin, and the surface looks suspicious to me, it might be a cast copy. The details are a little mushy which also makes me suspect a copy rather than genuine wear. It would be worth about $365 if it's real. Personally I wouldn't touch something like this raw unless the dealer has an EXCELLENT reputation and a good return policy if it turns out to be fake. Even if it's real it doesn't have very good eye appeal for the grade. I'd pass if I were you.
I gotta be honest bud, I don't like the rim or the fields. My first impression was it is fake. Granted this is going off of a picture, but a true 1834 should have clear distinction between the flat portion of the rim, and the denticles. Does not look genuine to me.
It appears to have quite a bit of bubbles on both sides of the coin. That screams fake. Then again that could be just the picture. Even so I would walk away. Do not think the risk is worth the reward there.
My initial impression upon looking at the photos (even before reading the OPs post) was the coin is a counterfeit. I am not an expert with gold from this era...but this coin has a lot of porosity which is a tell-tale sign of a cast coin. I would avoid it at all costs. As I said, I am not an expert with this type...but this coin screams cast counterfeit to me.
Thank you all so much for your input! i thought something seemed a bit off, but I am new to coin collecting (especially gold) and am by no means any kind of expert. I really appreciate you all steering me in the right direction!
By the way, Photograde is often worth checking for comparison. Sometimes you are lucky enough to find the same date, too!
A word about "dug" GOLD coins: in general, 100 years (or 500 years) in the ground does not cause this type of mottled, porous appearance. You may recall that some of the gold in the SS Central America graded MS63 and MS65 after 150 years in the ocean. Silver, yes; gold, no.
It was on an auction site. I won't mention their name. I have alerted them to your responses and they are looking into the matter.
Ugly, but looks genuine to me . . . probably lost copper content to long term burial or immersion in a corrosive medium.
