In-hand, i am seeing either a 5 or a 7 as the last date digit.... What do YOU see ????? I promise i wont argue, if you dont give me the answer im hoping for
Looks more like a 5 than any other digit to me. But we're deep in "seeing-what-we-want-to-see" territory here...
Welcome to CT ! Might you be okay with taking pictures of the coin out of the 2x2 protective case ? That might help show the image better.
Yeah, take one of the actual date and not the cardboard and staples and give people a chance. I still say its a 3
Hard to rule out anything from this, except a 4 seems unlikely. And, of course, 0, 1, and 2 are right out.
The reverse is completely gone, like worse than P-01. Offers no clues unfortunately. Ive looked at the flags on a bunch of 1885 & 1887s and this coin is FOR SURE one or the other. I didnt expect to retire from this purchase but for $.50 i took a chance. Thanks guys for atleast giving honest opinions. I guess a poll wouldve been a better option, oh well, maybe ill spend it and let someone else go nuts playing Magnum PI
I would've jumped on that at a dollar. I'd study the date at great length to see if I could nail it down. If it's just not possible, I'd give it a vinegar restoration -- at that point, it's a corroded/acid-treated coin, but with a clear date it would still get at least $100 on eBay. I used to acid-treat nickels without hesitation, but I do hesitate now. I worry that computer vision, X-ray diffraction, or better die markers might someday provide a way to date the coin without damaging it, and I worry that it will become common practice to "acid-redate" false detail onto dateless coins. Today, though, we aren't there yet.
