French Sowers (New pics and purchases)

Well, continuing with my toned French Sower collection, I decided I wasn't satisfied with my pictures of the 1919 and 1915 so I redid both, and got great, but not perfect results.
I also bought two new coins 1919 1 Franc NGC MS65 and 1913 1 Franc ICG MS65.
These coins are amazingly toned, but they are the absolute, most difficult coins to photograph that I have ever come in contact with.
The problem with the 1913 is that it is an extremely dark coin, but under right light, the coin has various beautiful colors, flowing beautifully. The 1919 is hard to photograph as well, and I have okay photos from Northeast Numismatics, BUT, their photos don't showcase all the colors of the fields that well. For now I will post the good, updated pics of the French 50 Centimes, and give you my best attempts at photos, to only show color, for the 1 Franc Coins, along with the Northeast Numismatic's photos for the 1919. My photos have glare from the light, that is intended to show the color, once again these aren't my best attempts at photos, and don't know how much better I can get with the equipment I own.

Enjoy,

50 Centimes:







1 Francs:


1913 Obverse Pictures:









1913 Reverse Picture:





1919 Northeast Numismatic's Picture:




1919 My Picture:

 

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WOW! :bigeyes: Great coins and your pictures show the colors beautifully. Great buys!

 

Nice! I have a few, but nothing fancy

 

Thank you very much.

I actually paid quite a bit for the 1913, $106, I know it was much, and really, it wasn't 100% necessary to pay for that price, but the original price was $150 and the toning is beautiful. I probably won't see a return though, unless I were to build a complete set, and have the T$ Collection pedigree on them
Other than the ones shown I own one more, for a total of 5, (3 50 Centimes and 2 1 Francs, all beautifully toned)
I'm very pleased with my set so far.

These coins are so beautiful, I think any coins of this design are fancy.
I can take pics of two raw ones I have, they are both 1918's I believe, 1 and 2 Franc. Absolutely beautiful.

 

Wow! I really think I'm gonna like the new 1913 and 1919 once you nail down the pictures to show off the surfaces and color better. nice pickups!

 

You know this 1913 is really one of the hardest coins I've ever dealt with, much harder than that FB Mercury Dime I used to own.
The only way to get the lettering clear is to have the glare of the lamps directly on the coin, but if I don't have them on the coin, or over the coin, the coin will become very dark, and almost unreadable, and the toning will be nowhere near as good.

I'm actually thinking about cracking it out, and maybe sending it off to NGC. I mean the 1913 is graded by ICG, and I am ruining some of the consistency I had going on.

 

Is the 1913 in the ICG slab in bad shape itself?

 

No it isn't in bad shape, but I would wonder if NGC would grade it.
I don't want to take any chances or waste my money, and if they won't give it at least a 64, I would want to do it either.

 

I may have come across unclear, but is the icg slab in bad shape, not the coin. :smile

Also, since you mentioned the ideal grade level you'd want from this coin before considering to send it in for grading, which way are you leaning more toward? below a 64, a 64 or any potential for something higher? Since we can't see it too well in the pics, what do see most glaringly that's holding this back from a 64 or higher. I'm asking because I don't know the series well enough, nor how these coins grade out and am relying on your estimation looking at the coin in hand.

 

No I said the slab wasn't in bad shape but then I kinda started talking about the coin, bet it threw you off, threw me off second time around reading it. LOL

The coin has a series of marks on the reverse of the coin, a couple deeper nicks near the date, and a few marks on the leaves in different places, there is also a big mark, scratch really on, and past the A on both sides on FRANC.
But none of those things make the coin ungradeable, they really are minor and are best seen with magnification.
The obverse is so hard to inspect due to the dark toning. I can make out tiny, and I mean tiny imperfections, and somewhat of a weak strike near the hip.

The coin really is beautiful, but what NGC would think worries me a tad. The luster can only be seen really well on the reverse and it is beautiful, but that is where most of the visible problems are.
If it docks down to MS63, I already have a problem and will probably lose money if I have to sell it. I think I will keep it in the ICG plastic until I can get a decent picture, whether that be my or someone else's doing, I probably won't sell or try to submit to NGC anytime soon though.

 

Wow, those are Fantastic Sowers. I like the design, and as the inspiration for our own Walking Liberty, it is important to US numismatic history as well.

 

Yeah I was going to make this into "Coin Outta 19...Part 3" but I think the people in Coin Chat are becoming a little annoyed.
Did you see the other threads with the Sowers in them?

 

Annoyed! Pfft! Not me. Bring 'em out!

Also, thanks for the detailed description above about the 1913.

 

Yeah I started doing all the Coin Outta The Vaults in Coin Chat after spreading them out into US Coins Froum, Coin Chat and World & Ancient.
I thought I'd just be consistent, rather than spread it out from three forums.
I thought since this is only pictures, and that was what Part 2 (of Part 19) was about I might as well not have a Part 3 and just post it here.

 

Very nice coins. Thanks for posting them You've motivated me to dig out my "The Sower" coins. I'm preparing to photograph some stuff so I'll the Sower coins to the mix.
Do you know what is the biggest coin using The Sower? I don't but I want to buy it.
At one point I was collecting Sower coins and anything with Mary Anne on it.

 

". . . Did you see the other threads with the Sowers in them?"

I'd like to see the links for the other Sower threads.

​

 

You ask and you shall receive.

http://www.cointalk.com/t112880/

http://www.cointalk.com/t113945/

 

Very nice additions !

Q

 

Hey T$ , you made my jaw drop with that 1913, not the tonning but your penchant to pay too much I'm sure they are quite nice though. I'm simply posting in this tread to ask if you are using a copy stand to take your pictures ?

 

The coins in the link are cool. They encouraged me to pull out my 1913 BU one franc Sower and my 2007 5€ proof Sower #1844. Next time I go to my coin/currency storage I'll see what other Sowers I have.

Anybody know what is the largest coin with a Sower?