hi all, I have a nice collection of walking liberty halves that I purchased and most of the 1938 and after coins are BU, and some of them look exceptional. I've been trying to understand how to distinguish higher grade (say MS 64-66) from more mundane uncirculated coins (noting that MS 65/66 coins seem to be quite valuable), but I can't find any explicit guidance on what to look for. I have an old Coin Values which gives some pictures and pretty generic advice for each MS60-MS65 but not really any key traits to look for. Does anyone have some pointers for this? My understanding is that certain details can be rather poorly struck, such as the lines on the front of the gown. I can't imagine how one could distinguish poor strike from wear. Could a coin grade MS 64 or higher with poor strike in this way? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! [If I can figure out how to post pictures maybe i'll post a few examples tomorrow....] thanks a lot andy
I recommend getting some grading books like the ANA Grading Guide. Yes - weak strikes can go into high MS grades. One of the reasons not all 64's or 65's are the same. Also check out heritage, their pictures seem to be the best and it is a good place for research. Then look at as many examples as possible in hand.
hi Mark, Thanks for the tips. I was just looking at some heritage pics. Its amazing to me how different the MS-63's are in terms of basic detail on the head/face, hand, and skirt. They're all over the map! andy
Yep - that is so true. For me(and the series I collect) the key was reading what the best strike features were - to look for those. Probably most of those 63's are really 63's, but looking for the strong strike features reveals the gems in the grades. So if you have the ANA grading book it will show some of these key focal areas. Plus you might find some truly undergraded and exceptional gems. I find heritage very helpful in my research. I have a few 63's IHC that I think match up well with my 64's. Of course this all just my opinion.
Some good advice there. The best thing you can do is get some experience, and look at ALOT of these coins. Heritage is a good place. If you ever have a chance to see alot of them in person at a large coin show, thats even better. Strike is a big factor. So are contact marks and blemishes, or lack thereof.
The eagle's breast is often weakly struck and you can tell it is a weak strike and not wear if the luster rolls over the area and there is no discoloration on it.
If you are a subscriber to Coin World then you can easily get what you want. Randy Campbell (sic) has run a column on grading Walkers for some time now. It would be quite easy to use the magazines digital archive to read all of those columns. He discusses individual date/mint examples and how to grade them, at length, in each one. If you are not a subscriber, you should be.
I've got a bunch of these Walker halves..and a ANA Grading Guide. Most of mine are common dates in the G-4 to VF-20 grades with a few EF's and a couple AU's. All I gotta say is there's a whole lot happening in this design on both the front and the back and compared to grading Morgan dollars for example, I find the Walkers far more challenging because its a smaller coin with a lot more detail. That being said, I think it's one of the most beautiful U.S. coins especially the obverse with the graceful, gliding Liberty. I appreciate your suggestion about Heritage. Anything that will help me grade these beauties is appreciated..
