GTG: 1938-S Texas Commemorative Half

The coin is very clean. I see a couple TINY marks...but overall it looks very nice. I think it's a MS66 all day long.

 

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I'll go MS66+.

 

The two areas you mention are the highest points of the coin. That equals incomplete strike, not wear.



If this was NGC, I would've gone 66, but with PCGS, I went 67.

 

MS-65, Very nice indeed. Thanks for sharing.

 

64-65...fingers not as well defined as could be.
J.T.

 

Just curious, where does the wear typically appear first?

 

On the high points (of any coin), which is highlighted by the red on this coin.

 

Okay, so I usually go with MS65, just because that is the most common grade many commemoratives are, but with this one, I'm not sure if it would have been down graded to MS64 or even 63 for the wear (leg looks like wear to me) or as some believe, weak strike. JMHO and hope I'm wrong.

 

I guess we have enough opinions. Enjoyed seeing what the jury had to say. A wide range of views!

Here’s what PCGS said:

 

All I'll say is wow! There must be something we're not seeing in the pics. How is the luster?

 

Luster is extremely nice. Don’t question your own grading skills. Question my photography.

 

OK, so I was a little off... Don't care what PCGS says, it is a stunning coin no matter what grade they think it is!!

 

I was about to say 65, as I turned the page to grade it. Really attractive coin!

 

They got it wrong again. When will they ever listen to me?!

 

Okay I can see that. Would an incomplete strike also explain what I see as a contact mark on the obverse? Am I seeing something there that is not? Thx

 

Oh, I guess I guessed right. Still a beauty I'd be proud to own...

Oh, I guess I guessed right. Still a beauty I'd be proud to own...

 

I can see it there, every bit of it. I guess I was a little quick, after judging there was no wear. My grandmother's pet Chihuahua died, too, so I was in a despondent mood. And if you don't believe that sorry excuse, I'll bet I can make up another one.

 

I would have thought it was Baffert's suspension.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but GTG's have a certain degree of educational value, and GTG's lead to discussion, so I'm going for it...

If the mark is in the area in the red, it's (most likely) not a contact mark, but a 'flaw' in the planchet that didn't get struck out during the minting.

The big question is 'How can you tell whether it's a hit or an inherent flaw?' Sometimes they blend together to the point that it's not 100% discernible, but usually you can tell. For one, the planchet flaws will (dare I say) never be in the fields, and are (dare I say) always on the highest point of the coin. Once you see enough 'weakly struck' coins, you'll get used to them. There will also be no luster, and no raised or moved metal in the unstruck area where the planchet flaws are.

The coin that is great for learning unstruck planchet flaws is by far the Booker T Washington sub-series of the early commemoratives. The 1st coin below is a PCGS MS66+ w/CAC, and yet there are planchet flaws all along Booker's jawline. The mark in the field to the right of the portrait is a hit. This shows that unstruck planchet flaws are pretty much accepted, and can also be an indication of lack of wear (wear will smooth them out), and while do affect the grade, they don't necessarily completely kill a coin's grade.

(Click to enlarge)



This next one is a good comparison. It's a 1947-D BTW PCGS MS67. Note the lesser degree of planchet flaws on the high points. The mark on the cheekbone (I'm guessing here) looks like just a deeper planchet flaw, as well as the smaller one on the forehead. I do believe that the marks that run through his ear, and possible the marks going to and ending below his nose, is a hit. Not really sure though.

(Click to enlarge)



But that's the difference between a well-struck 67, and a weaker struck 66. In the case of the BTW's a strong/full strike is less common, and gets the bump.

As a reference for the BTW, here is the high/wear points map:

 

Tell you the truth, it brought smile to my face.