1901-S Gold value, grade?

Please grade this $10 gold coin. Any idea on retail value? Opinions requested. Thanks.



The reverse does not have as many hits as the obverse. This seems typical. However the reverse has a few more distractions than the photo shows. As far as I know it wasn't cleaned other than a fast acetone dip which I did to remove PVC residue. Any help is appreciated.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

MS-61. Numismedia lists it in that grade @ $1030

 

Based on what?The scratches or are you saying it's been cleaned?

 

i highly doubt that one. ms-61.

 

PCGS won't grade coins with scratches ?

 

MS61 here too.

 

Yes this coin makes for an interesting study and that's why I wanted to share it. The OP [and first photo in this thread] purposely is the revealing one out of all the pictures I took.
The coin was purchased from an estate. The deceased gentleman was a brilliant scientist, author and college professor PhD. He decided to dabble in coins. Part of the estate was very nice with some intellegent picks of choice coins. Some were not so nice and I believe he was taken for a ride by at least one firm [now defunct] New England Rare Coin Galleries. A salesman from that firm is now doing jail time in Ohio. The fair trade commission fined the company some 1.5 million for misrepresentation, overgrading, and overpricing. This is a case study on how intelligent persons can be duped investing in so called rare coins.
Anyway 2 more photos and then a summary follows:



The professor left some records of his coins. He sold about 45 coins before he passed away as those coins were not in the house. He did pay some rather inexpensive prices for some of them.
By his records he paid $256 for this coin. He had a grade marked MS60+
which agrees with the MS-61 that 2 members replied here with.
I sort of do not want to put a grade on this. However I purchased this coin for $300 cash. If indeed all it's worth is for melt, right now scrapping this coin should bring about $595 right? I did spend $5 in gas to go buy it.
If my profit is $290 when I sell then it isn't so bad after all.
Thanks for the replies. You guys are the best!

 

I'll give you $500 right now.

 

Guys the scratches are very harsh in the fields and the gash near the nose is very distracting.
I think there is a difference between a mark/hit versus a scratch.
A mark or a hit is likely to be made at the mint, where the coin still hasn't been released, or has been put in a bag with other coins it will brush up against.
A scratch is something done post mint, in this case, that gash you see near the nose, those various scratches to the left of the coin, and the few major scratches to the right, make this coin ungradeable.
This coin, in my eyes shows no signs of cleaning whatsoever. Patina checks out okay, and luster doesn't appear to have any major breaks from the pictures that showcase the luster.

Although Doug, I believe this coin will get over spot in an eBay auction, somebody will want this coin bad enough, for whatever reason.

 

##########Finally a well thought out and appropriate appraisal. I sincerely thank you and totally agree.
And you know darn well I can't sell it for $500.
If I thought this coin were scrap I would not have bought it at all.
I know it's hard to grade a coin from pictures and that's why the very first photo is the ugliest. Now what would you say if I only posted the 4th shot of it?
However, I feel the coin is authentic and not harshly cleaned.
Tell you what; when I hold it in my hand and feel the weight of it-
I know I could get $600 out of it someday which doubles my money.
And "someday" is the key word. I buy gold to hold on to and not to flip.

 

It's a nice coin, be proud to own it.

 

i sold this one for $475.


luckily i have another in better condition..

 

Thank you. The fact is I really don't want to break apart the late professor's collection. There are two more rather clunky coins but the rest are nice.
I am proud to own them all as a group.
It seems he got better making choices as time went on. This coin was probably one of the first he purchased.

 

Agree with that one

 

Just sent the coin in for grading.
Will post results when I find out.

 

It would be interesting if it came back graded and not just in a genuine holder. How much did it cost you to get it submitted?