Grade my Half Eagle

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by Sallent, Sep 28, 2022.

  1. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    Someone on the Bullion section said this recent junk box find at a bullion dealer's shop could be as high as an XF-45. What do you guys think? Ignorantly I assumed it was at least borderline AU.

    Zombodroid_28092022081506.jpg

    Either way I am so thrilled at my find. I'm not going to send it to get graded as this goes into my investment box of bullion and world gold coins, but I would like to get a better idea of grade to assign a description of it and a likely re-sale price in my "Gold Bullion Investment Spreadsheet" for my investment records.

    And please feel free to be brutally honest. I'm more on the investment side of things, and not so much the numismatics. So even if you think this is the junkiest and ugliest piece of gold you've ever seen it wouldn't hurt my feelings. Gold is gold after all.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2022
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  3. Treashunt

    Treashunt The Other Frank

    It could AU, even tho there are a lot of hits on the cheek.

    I'd mark it AU
     
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  4. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    If that ends up being the consensus that would definitely exceed my wild expectations when I first spotted this coin in the junk bin of my bullion dealer's place. When it comes to old gold, us bullion investors would be trilled with anything XF or higher, as they usually have a little numismatics premium that helps smooth the volatility of our bullion investments...or at least the potential to have a premium somewhere down the road anyways.

    I see my shinny new bullion as stocks, and the old gold with a little numismatics premium as the equivalent of bonds, which tend to be add a little more stability to the mix.:D
     
  5. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    There is enough detail in the eagles feathers and Lady Liberty's hair that I too would be in the AU camp.... Now here's the brutally honest part.... Most of these common date pre-33 gold coins have very little spread in value between mid circulated grades up to the low uncirculated grades. You don't start seeing any real value swings until you get up into the MS63 and above grades.... It's one of the reasons I love collecting pre-33 gold. I can buy very nice examples (to my eye) for what I believe are reasonable costs.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2022
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  6. QuintupleSovereign

    QuintupleSovereign Well-Known Member

    Honestly, I'd say a high-range AU: maybe AU-55.
     
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  7. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    Well, I'm $570 into the coin, and baring my untimely death or a crushing financial emergency that made me exhaust all of my other financial investments and savings, I'll be looking to sell this one 30-35 years from now, or maybe never if my stock market ETFs do well enough over the next 3 decades. Hopefully by then the numismatics premiums will be a little higher. Id assume either way I would have the potential to get offered much more than $570 at that time.
    At the rate politicians are managing the dollar, $570 may not even buy you a burger then.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2022
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  8. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    I would say low end UNC., like MS-61. There really isn't any rub, but it's got a lot of bag marks on the obverse which impair the eye appeal.

    It's an interesting piece because it was made the first year that the Denver Mint was promoted from an assay office to a mint.

    Some piece might not like this one for the grade, but NGC graded this MS-65.

    1907-D $5 All.jpg

    And PCGS graded this MS-64. I think that this one is very high end for the grade.

    1886-S $5 a All.jpg
     
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  9. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    I see nothing of an XF. It is an AU or BU. I am terrible at photos between the two. I would have to tilt the coin to see if I see luster breaks. Lots of hits on obverse, especially prime focal areas, but as to wear I would be around 53-55 if there is a luster break. If no luster break, 61.
     
  10. psuman08

    psuman08 Active Member

    I agree with John, I don't see any rub on the coin. MS-61 with all the contact marks.
     
  11. Mainebill

    Mainebill Bethany Danielle

    Baggy but no real wear. I’m at au-58 asi see a touch of luster breaks on high points. But could be a 61 too truly a slider
     
  12. eddiespin

    eddiespin Fast Eddie

    The bullion dealer must have been grading it on the bagginess. There's hardly any wear on that. AU58, here.
     
  13. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    Took a new photo of the $10 Eagle tonight for fun, as I took a photo of the other earlier today, might as well

    $10 Eagle.jpg

    Roughly a very high XF to low AU.

    I really love these old coins. I need the Quarter Eagle and Double Eagle badly now. It's addicting. And here I am supposed to be a Bullion man, yet these old pre-33 are making me drool
     
  14. Anthony Mazza

    Anthony Mazza Well-Known Member

  15. mpcusa

    mpcusa "Official C.T. TROLL SWEEPER"

    I would go a solid AU/50, the coin has allot of luster, but to many distractions on
    the face and surrounding areas to be graded any higher.
     
  16. Gallienus

    Gallienus coinsandhistory.com

    MS-61 or 62, unless it has something in the photo I missed. Even at that I can't buy this coin as a 62. Any 62 I buy online will certainly have wear on the cheek & high points and will have been re-slabbed at least 2-3 times.

    From your photo this one appears to have no friction (wear) on the cheek.
     
  17. Mainebill

    Mainebill Bethany Danielle

    The $10 au 50. May have been cleaned possibly just a dip.
     
  18. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    Yeah, I figured as much. The marks are mostly typical bag mark stuff, nothing to indicate it was ever cleaned abrasively. I think a dip is not out of the question though...in fact it's probable it happened. I'm tempted to just let it sit in a desk drawer inside a paper envelope for a few years. That ought to fix that up and add some interesting toning to it. Either way, for me it's bullion with a slight numismatic premium. Which is fine as I don't send my coins to get slabbed anyway. I'm not a "bullion stacker" that needs MS-70 from PSGS or whatever. I'm more concerned with total ounces of gold. Numismatic premium that may add up over the decades is just a side bonus for me.
     
  19. Mainebill

    Mainebill Bethany Danielle

    It honestly won’t tone in an envelope much. It’s 90% gold which is basically inert. The 10% copper may/may not color. It just looks a little too clean. Honestly it’s a common date bullion coin anyway so just enjoy it. I like these common libs as a bullion investment. I used to have quite a few
     
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