I figure where better to come for an opinion of a coin I purchased a few years back. It's been sitting on the back of my mind what to do with it, whether to try to submit it, just leave it as is and don't bother, etc. 3C Silvers have always been a weakness of mine (both in wanting and in grading), and the price was certainly right at any grade for this guy. Personally I think it's probably an AU coin, POSSIBLY Unc with a weak strike which is very common on these coins. I have no idea if the toning is genuine, but it's not a crazy bright rainbow unless the light hits JUST right as you can see and the way it shines makes me think it is. The reverse has a rub on the right most I in "III". The coin still has luster underneath the toning but the front is prooflike in person (I would have no idea how to show that effect to you guys). There are MUCH more skilled eyes on this forum than mine, so look, see and report.
I like it, though from the pictures a few things worry me . The build up of metal on the stars from 2 o'clock to 5 o'clock and the bottoms of the date. Old whizzing maybe? Other than that I would say NT and about AU58 :thumb:
Yeah, I didn't really know what to think about the buildup around the stars except maybe some Longacre doubling or something like that. Sadly I don't have my $1 gold to compare it to. It is a bit suspicious though, you're right.
Not that I have any experience here, but I would guess they would call that MS (63?). I have seen many coins with a lot more cabinet friction and planchet flaws than this one get an MS grade.
I know these things were prone to every sort of torture imaginable including being found bent, so with that in mind, yeah, this is in pretty good shape as far as scratches, scuffs and marring goes. Thanks for the opinions everyone and thanks for all future opinions to come!
I could see 63 as well. At the same time these things are tough to grade and we are looking at an image. The strike looks great. Not sure what to think about the stars. Maybe a worn die?
Thanks, Winged! Idhair, do you have any examples of worn dies that look like the stars? When worn dies come to my mind I think of weak details, etc, but I'd be very interested to see the type you're talking about! If anyone wants a closer pic of any part of it, I can do my best. I can't believe this came from an antique shop of all places. This is my first ever numismatic purchase from one. The booth didn't have much in the way of coins, and this bugger looked quite dark in the case, but once I pulled it out, I was hooked. The price was more than reasonable as well. I still don't know whether to leave it as is, or send it, but I'm VERY tempted to send it. Sadly I have no membership to either NGC or PCGS, nor do I trust the local dealers to get it done in a timely manner, so if anyone lives near Jacksonville with a PCGS or NGC membership, let me know! haha.
Wow, you got to it before I even posted! haha. You're very right, They do have the same type of thing going on, and that, mixed with the outrageously shiny front on my coin really makes me wondering if it could be a proof... There is certainly a sharpness to yours, but I'm not sure if that's because the difference in die state or difference in type of strike (mint vs. proof). I think that's what I'm MOST curious about with this coin, but it's really hard to capture its "shininess" or mirror like fields in photographs. Thanks for that pic Idhair! Lovely light blue on that sucker!
I don't think it is a proof but this image shows the same look to the stars. PCGS 67. Not mine. Sorry for the file size.
Ahh, well very neat to see that. Especially on an 1861 like mine. That is one HECK of a strike on that 67 though, WOW! Thanks so much for all the research you've done!
Personally, I find the toning to be unattractive, though I am sure PCGS or NGC would disagree and bump-it-up a grade for that matter. I also agree that it has a good chance at making it into a lower MS holder. It's a nice coin with decent NT. I don't think those hairlines are much of a problem. Should send it to a TPG right away! -Brian
That is a beauty! Perfect type set material. Here's mine. It has an apparent die clash. I put this one in my IS US type set album. BTW, I don't think there's anything to worry about with the stars. I don't know if some had to be re-punched or what but the additional edges seem to be common. So people can appreciate the difficulty of these pics (and for color comparison):
That size comparison is great. I've never really put one next to another coin, except maybe a gold dollar at one point, which then makes the two look similar. Very cool to see that. Nice looking coin, and nice die clash Vess. You see that a lot in these little buggers. I'll explore my options in sending the coin (I'll probably just pony up the $30 for the basic membership at NGC so I can submit this and my $1 gold. Thank you everyone for your opinions and input. As always, very helpful!
