1916 Barber Dime - to grade or not to grade…that is the question…

If he wants, I would bet the $38 regular submission fee that it is lightly cleaned. I don’t comment lightly about things like that.

 

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I think you are being generous, with that description.

 

Your confidence is what matters. It is your piece. You have made a determination of the quality. You have calculated that the cost allows the expenditure for a TPG evaluation. Doing the math on the wholesale market, I suspect your opinion is that it will come back MS 63. Why hesitate?

 

I think it's cleaned.

 

And from these photos, I wouldn't take either side of that bet. Actually, I'd probably take your side, just on the basis of the "most old coins are problem coins" rule of thumb.

 

You have a point about the photos. The surfaces of the obverse and reverse look drastically different to me.

 

But, you just did. You stated it was LIGHTLY cleaned:

Don't hit me. I need friends. I am old, and a bit odiferous, I am told.

 

Don’t worry. You are a friend. I think the coin was wiped. Barber coinage is notorious for being cleaned. Rarely does one see an extremely bright, blast white uncertified higher grade Barber that isn’t cleaned in some manner. If that coin is MS63-64, somebody would have had it certified a long time ago.

 

And I think you are still being generous with that description.

 

I still don't like the "if it was gradeable, it would already be graded" argument, though. Every graded coin had a first time through the process. And while there are LOTS AND LOTS of graded coins today, I can't imagine that we're anywhere close to having gotten all of them.

 

I gather you don’t like that argument, but there is a lot of truth to it. In my experiences, higher grade Barber coinage was slabbed years ago. This is a particularly bright, shiny piece. If it were to straight grade, which I don’t feel that it would, it is somewhere in the 63-64, or possibly 64+ range, or from those photographs, APPEARS as such. A collector definitely would have taken the chance, and submitted it. Barber coinage was in the “golden age” of coin cleaning. Most of the more attractive specimens (and, I am not denying that it is an attractive coin) had some assistance. Most were dipped, or wiped. Some got the “eraser” treatment. Whatever the case, unless they are deceptively bad photographs, this coin shows evidence to me of some mechanical cleaning. The color is definitely NOT original—that is pretty obvious. So, I stand by my opinion, whether or not it may be popular. That coin appears to have been cleaned.

 

That might be. The flip side of that, is, and evaluating only wholesale sight seen at this time, is a 63 @ 155, a 64 @ 180, an a 65 @ 300. The OP states the cost was 100 and the OP states there is wiggle room for the grading cost, so the minimum wiggle room spread would need a TPG of 63. If it is a 63, and a 1916 Barber, there is a reason it has not been submitted for at least a MS 63 TPG Grade, by previous owners/handlers/collectors.

I don't think it is because it has been in Grandma's purse or Granddad's secret drawer.

 

I'll freely admit that that's the scenario that comes to my mind when I hear the "would've already been graded" argument. If it's already been through several dealers' hands in modern times, I would assume it's been considered and rejected as a grading candidate.

 

Nice coin. 1. It is your coin and it is up to you as far as grading BUT if you want to know what the grade is, you will have to have it graded. We (CT readers) can only give you our opinion, yes there is chatter on the reverse but there again look at the age of the coin. It will come back a high grade from either NGC or PCGS. 2. I think the grade that will be assigned will eliminate the conversation of cost.
Again NICE coin.
Semper Fi
Phil

 

Goes right along with the "If it doesn't have CAC, it's because it was rejected" stuff. Don't mean to offend, but it's all nonsense. I have blast white coins that have been in my collection for 50 years, from grandpa, and none of them have been cleaned or ever graded. There are a TON of raw coins out there like this.

 

With cleaning marks just like this one? I am sure there are.

 

I don't see evidence of cleaning, maybe there is, maybe there isn't, but that's not my point. You can't claim a coin has been cleaned just because it's still raw.

just isn't true.

 

It is so obvious. Someone would have had it certified. It would be an obvious candidate for submission. I bet it was submitted, and was bodybagged for cleaning. It has eye appeal, but it has cleaning evidence as bright as daylight. You can disagree all you want. I offered a challenge as a bet—that is how sure I am that it was wiped or buffed.

 

How can I post a video of the coin in this thread. Maybe that will help out???

 

Sure you don’t want to take my $38 bet? We would know, once and for all. I acknowledge that it is an attractive coin, and if it grades, it deserves a slab. If it straight grades, my guess would be 64. It doesn’t grade, you pay. It grades, I owe you $38, plus postage. So, for under $50, you get a definite answer, and if it is in a slab, your $100 coin becomes a $200 one. Ask anybody here with whom I have done business—I pay my debts with PayPal immediately.