I've just picked up the fourth member of my five-piece 1905 proof set. Pictures of the coin are included below. Please guess the grade: HINT: It is graded by NGC. Have fun...Mike
I have no idea what special things are considered in proof grading if any, so I'm totally guessing... I'll say PF65? Nice photos as always BTW.
What you are seeing as a rim ding at 5 o'clock on the obverse is actually a small piece of NGC holder peeking into the photograph. There are no rim dings on the coin. There are two small scratches fairly evident in the photos -- one below Liberty's chin, and the other in the C in CENT....Mike
What a beauty!! I will say PR66. You are a lucky man to have such a beautiful coin. I want one, no a hundred, no OK all.
The coin was graded PF 65 RB by NGC. My photo of the obverse is not as good as it could be -- the color of the obverse is more like that shown in the phto of the reverse, but it has been very difficult to capture. My thoughts on the coin are as follows: Positives: The coin as a nice full strike as would be expected from proofs of this era and the softness of the metal. The coin has natural (probably tissue) toning, but it is not deeply toned. It is mostly shades of purple and red. There is some mint red showing primiarly on the right half of the coin. The coin is very flashy, with very deep mirrors. There is some contrast between the fields and devices, however, it is nowhere near enough to call it a cameo (which are farily rare for all 1905 proofs). It is a gorgeous coin. Negatives: The two most obvious flaws are the scratches below Liberty's chin and inside the C in CENT. All the rest are nitpicks: On the obverse, there are also a few hairlines below Liberty's chin, and microscopic toning spots mostly in the area of AMERICA, neither of which are visible without magnification. There are also some toning breaks on the high points of the coin, most likely from whatever the coin was stored in, but careful examination shows they are not rub. On the reverse, ther is a solitary spot inside the E in CENT, and a tiny planchet defect high left of the shield, along with some splotchiness of the toning most evident in NE of ONE. There are also some die polish lines on the reverse which migh be mistaken for hairlines. In summary: Held at arms length, this coin has the flash and color of a 66. However, it has some flaws that are evident once you examine under a loupe. I personally would grade the coin 64. As far as NGC 65's are concerned, this is a nice one -- it is in one of their older holders without NGC's name or website. I think it will fit nicely into my proof set, which I've included below: If anybody knows where a nice tissue toned 1905 proof half dollar is, please let me know!!! Thanks for all your responses, opinions, and the kinds words. Have fun...Mike
Mike, it's not cheap, but it seems to fit your criteria, so here is one possibility: Nice NGC PF66Cam 1905 Half Seller seems reputable, so it might be worth a shot. Here are a few more: Stacks 1 Stacks 2 Mark Feld's PCGS PR65 images Mark Feld's Inventory list ANACS PF63 at Penn Gallery Exchange Superior Galleries NGC PF67 Google is cool!
Thank you for posting those links, that was VERY kind of you. The 66 CAM on ebay is a coin I've seen before, and it does not match the look of the other coins (it is most likely dipped and retoned in an album). I actually had Mark Feld send me the half he has in inventory. While it is a very pretty coin, like virtually all of Mark's coins, it was not for me so I returned it. The rest of the coins, with the exception of the 67, are not original coins, IMHO. They are dipped and retoned -- not the look I am going for. The 67 is out of my price range, and also is not quite the look I am going for (I want blue and red tissue toning). Again, thanks for the links, but none of these coins would work for me....Mike
no problem and good luck with your search! It may take some time, but what you end up with will be a fabulous looking, well-matched 1905 proof set! I'm looking forward to seeing the final result.
