GTG: 1875 20-cent piece

One of my favorites. Grade this one! In a PCGS slab.

 

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AU 50

 

AU Details, cleaned

 

AU Details, cleaned

 

I originally thought it was details-cleaned, but the more I look at it, I think it is wear, and a dipping, with retoning. Going to stick with Straight grade AU 50.

 

40

 

It’s all the hairlines in the fields that worry me. They are running in the same direction. I think it’s been scrubbed.

 

Could be. Could just be wear abrasions. Not positive.

 

It’s hard to know for sure with photos.

 

Exactly. It doesn’t have that flat look of a cleaned coin. I see wear in the fields, and on the high points of the obverse. It could go either way. Those coins are pretty uncommon nowadays, so I could see a TPG letting it slide.

 

XF45

 

XF-45

 

xf-45, cleaned

 

Looks cleaned and returned. XF-40 details

 

OK. Here’s the reveal.

 

Surprised the grade was that much lower than our guesses. As I suspected it straight graded, but VF 35? I thought XF-AU made more sense.

 

Hmm. I will admit that I’m not an expert in this series but I am surprised.

 

I think that they net graded it. The sharpness grade is EF-AU, but it has been rubbed fairly recently on the high points, especially the rims. In the old days, this would have come back in a body bag or more recently gone into a “details” holder.

It’s too bad because the coin was a choice, original piece before someone messed with it or put it in the wrong type of storage container.

 

This thread reminds me of a GTG I did recently on my 38-D Walking Liberty Half. I think the holders are causing the pictures to give a cleaned look to the coin, especially if you have direct light on the coin, as it looks in this pic. It's like the light projects small scratches on the holder onto the coin.

 

I disagree. Look at the circled areas on the coin. They appear to have been disturbed, especially on the rims and in some areas on the design.