1859 indian cent question

I am in the market for a nice XF-AU 1859 cent for my type set. Here are two examples, both of which I'm quite fond of. The price between the two of them is going to be similar, though the PCGS one will probably end up being a bit more expensive.

The first one(that the seller has added text) is more likely an XF-45, but a very attractive one at that.

The second one(blue background) is a PCGS certified XF-45, and is also quite nice.

If you had to choose between the two of them based on the merit of the coin itself, what would be your pick? Usually I'm quite decisive about my purchases, but these two are very close to the same quality imo, and I can't decide.:goofer:

 

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The raw one looks like it could have been cleaned at some point to me so I personally would stay away from it. The PCGS one looks like it has better detail also.

 

what makes you think it has been cleaned?

 

The second one...
No nicks in the rims, and the letters are bolder
As you can see in the first one the E and T are very faint in the word CENT while in the second one, all the letters seem to have no wear on them
You can also see in the first one, on the headdress, the word liberty is weird looking.. The Y is faint, and the E is kinda distorted...
I'd go with the second one, ALL THE WAY

 

I would personally go with the second one. It being graded means nothing to me, because I would rather have it raw. The first one has, what appears to be, nicks around the edge and on the reverse the 'T' in CENT is weak. The second one is a much sharper strike and is just better all around.

 

Yes, I would grade the second one higher too. The T is weak in the former. Also, the rim looks like it has a couple of dings in the first coin. They are both nice coins though.

 

Even if it costs a bit more, go with the one that has been authenticated.
#2

 

Oh haha I'm sorry! That color on early composition IHCs throws me off I take it back. If it were 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc it would look cleaned haha sorry.

 

the 2nd one looks like it has more detail

 

I like the slabbed one a little better detail, plus it's in a PCGS slab which helps when you can't see the coin in hand , but either is fine . Go with the one you like .
rzage

 

I would pick the 2nd coin, because the 1st coin's color is unnatural to my eye and suggests a cleaning/recoloring. Remember, the 1859 coin was Copper-Nickel, not copper like the late-date IHCs, and as a result has a slightly different hue (like the 2nd photo, not the 1st).

 

looks like it's unanimous. thanks guys!

 

The 1st coin is not a -45......not even close, just a technical 40. Rick or Charmy would confirm that.

2nd coin all the way:smile

 

I agree, the second coin is in better shape. I would go with that one.

 

The second coin for sure. Just the rim dings on the first coin did it for me. The second coin has a stronger reverse.

Bruce

 

PCGS T is cent shows a lot of wear

 

The 2nd coin is indeed a nicer example. But either specimen would be an upgrade in my set.

 

What do you mean? It looks the same as every other letter in CENT to me...

 

First, let me say I believe I know who is selling the raw coin (you can PM me if you like) but I have had both good and bad experiences with that Ebay seller, and he does not necessarily list if his coins have been cleaned, so be careful about that. (He often describes his coins as "tastey"!) I have had to return a couple of his coins for that reason, and have ceased bidding on his auctions. So for that reason alone, I would stick with the PCGS coin.

But pretending I'm neutral, honestly, it's hard to tell if the odd color on the raw coin is simply from the photo. The very minor rim nicks seem barely visible and not seem significant enough to warrant any downgrading. And the weak T on the reverse of the raw coin is just a poor strike or strike thru, again not significant to me at least. Both coins look pretty mark free and spot free and pretty equal technically. So if being raw or slabbed does not matter to you and the price was similar on both coins and you're sure the raw one has original toning, then to me the main deciding factor would be, when you first looked at each coin, which one had better eye appeal to YOU in hand, which one jumped out at you, which one made you say, wow, nice coin!

 

Now that you mention it, I recognize his coins also. I quit dealing with him a couple years ago when I figured his coins were overgraded and his pixs somehow did not reflect it.