My next Saint, your opinion on grade and appearance

I have been eyeing up this coin for awhile now for my next GOLD purchase a 1908 NM
Saint Gaudens in MS 66 and its not cheap !...LOL I dont mind spending the money
however if the coin is attractive and easy on the eyes, but have a reservation or two
first here are some pics.

 

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I am not a professional when it comes to coin grading, paper currency allot more knowledgable.

to me a a 66 should be really clean, I know on currency a 66 might have a centering
issue but thats it everything else is right on, in this coin I see multiple distractions
which makes me put my gun back in the holster !

First on the obverse, the line or mark the runs thru the bottom of the branch your
eye goes right to it !

And on the reverse the mark that is right above the eagles head, so a couple of things that aren't real great about this coin at least in my opinion.

 

Sometimes you need to go up to a 66+ or 66 CAC or even an MS-67 to get a nice-looking 1908 NM. It doesn't have the luster or strike appeal of other Saints.

The only good thing about going up to those certifications is that you don't pay anywhere near as much as other common Saint prices. Last I checked, even MS-67's were under $7,000 maybe even under $6,000.

 

Check out other 66's on HA and GC and see if others impress you more. Every coin is different, even when given the same grade, so get one in the grade you like.

 

I was just in the middle of tagging you, @GoldFinger1969.

In my opinion, there are few coins more beautiful than a high-grade Saint. And from what I've seen, a coin can look much better or much worse in-hand than in photos -- a photo can easily hide or accentuate hits. If I ever decide to treat myself to a high-grade example, I'll definitely want to see it in-hand, or at least with multiple photos under varying lighting.

 

Is there any particular attraction to owning this date in such high grade? Why not just settle for three MS-62 pieces from APMEX for around $1860 each instead?

 

I like coins that have a interesting provenance, and this one is pretty special
"Wells Fargo Nev Gold" I live in Henderson, NV so the reference is clear.

Honestly not a big fan of the M/S 60 - 62 grades tend to have allot of distractions
where as the A/U grades dont, a little less luster but thats about it have many of
these very attractive

 

A MS66 shouldn't have "bag rub", wear/nose-flattening, and have bold uniform luster.

I'd suggest this coin: https://www.ebay.com/itm/334407043249?hash=item4ddc3688b1:g:iL8AAOSwkDBiXNYn&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAsEXVxocrlmAonCTgX5ydtm7+6bEimi6uDVjJb+4NM93rmkVuzzVFEUM1y6G2qV05CC/ZKs6MfQXSBiWtpq2EBP7tKaUtCE4HqWDgZxp+yvsABx5eWnTL+DulAQkcJn4DHst3lboGPiQhqINxTkrUqO7c6tgL7J8BjaWLOi8EPC+uqtq2+z9lKDOvd8R2EgYbGb0JsfQX0zGlJRwHefIzyAXTYnAeLyb8kHCu3dCGx5N7|tkp:Bk9SR97t5dbuYA

or I believe this fits your Mode Of Purchase:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/373085498400?hash=item56dda0ec20:g:ERoAAOSwVxdjKI8B&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAsFB7nNVLf8qDmBxdfgIrgwQaG2Ppy6jClogvBX8YKrFtIWKvQPT0USi8ruOkRjiXIEIhTRf5vB/4/lmmi7FMltwo2u+HNTbIDv4FuhC2Qp0VDfhMQXGdIIusHdhPjZjmCtRveBtZnZyqZWuEXOypxbfmt9IbXpbjC4kpq5Asd4noe0Izh+u36dlj2GFzaBHIDKH8I7Ca5fCe2fqAagKBwl2MyjfbO7WGbnkoxMiRW72J|tkp:Bk9SR8jt5dbuYA

JMHO

 

Thanks for the additional considerations, found this one its a 65 and not a 66, but looks way better in my opinion.

 

Good Lord. What you don't understand/know is Legion.

 

The "Wells Fargo Hoard" was a huge accumulation of 1908 Saints (19,900) repatriated from Europe by Ron Gillio. For a while they were stored at a WF Branch in Nev. That's it and hardly constitutes an important provenance (my opinion). Over 6000 were graded MS 66 so there is no shortage of these and you can afford to be very picky.

 

Absolutely, Jeff....deliberately or inadvertently, lighting can so change the appearance of a coin that it isn't funny. I believe our own GDJMSP has posted some coins under different lighting and it looks like 2 separate coins.

As long as an auction had a return policy, I wouldn't mind bidding from hi-res pics (still 2nd-best to going to a coin shop or a local coin show or a big one like FUN). The thing is, as I saw from GDJMSP's photos, you can really hide material blemishes and flaws with lighting even on a properly graded coin. The flaws might just be in the area you are most senitive to but other buyers for the grade are more forgiving.

 

There's lots of information on the 1908 No Motto Hoard....I've posted here and over on the NGC site as well.

Keep in mind that Ron Gillio has really never given details of WHERE and HOW the coins were found. He may be sworn to secrecy....it may involve sensitive government/banking contacts in South/Central American countries...whatever. But you and everyone else are probably aware that the "Wells Fargo" moniker has nothing to do with the finding of the hoard....it's where the hoard was kept while the transaction for buying the 19,990 coins was being undertaken.

They were kept at a WF branch for safekeeping....the coins may have been with one or multiple banks south of the boarder.....with a general or his family in one of those countries....etc. We don't know.

Bower's Double Eagle book has the most comprehensive story on the 1908 NM's and Roger Burdette's Saints book includes that plus a few other details. I've also included some tidbits from various sites here and over at NGC.

 

2 nice coins, IM.

But again....for all we know....the luster and eye appeal could be a function of the lighting, angles, pixel resolution, etc.

Unless all the coins are photographed under the same conditions and angles -- like I think Heritage does for the most part -- it can be tough to do an apples-to-apples comparision.