I just picked up an awesome 1831 Bolivian 8 soles. It appears to have a very noticeable planchet flaw at about 12 o'clock. However, it seems to be in excellent condition detail-wise compared to most coins from that time period. I have no regrets over buying the coin, since I paid $10 more than its melt value and it is an important piece of history. It is also a pretty big, heavy coin. Would this coin be given a mere details grade? As far as the details go, I believe it's extra fine. Also, anyone know the value of this coin? Personally, I think 19th-century Bolivian coins are undervalued. So I picked up 3 of these recently. Whatever the responses, I sure dig this coin. :thumb:
I also collect those and agree they are undervalued. Cat. prices are not that applicable. They are sought after in Latin America. I only have pics of these below for reference. The fist coin I paid slightly over 100 US and for the bottom was expensive at 400 US.
Nice. Those are, I believe, AU+. In my case, I paid $35 for the coin in the initial post. I also paid $47.50 and $42.50 for the other two (not posted). Considering that the melt value is about $25 for each, I consider these prices a steal. Also, most early Bolivian 8 soles are very worn, so the grading can be generous compared to other series. I think if silver continues to outperform other asset classes, and Latin Americans start buying these coins, these coins will perform well compared to relatively overbought coins, such as Morgan dollars. You can't go wrong when you are paying just barely above melt for very historical coins.
Will it affect the grade ? Absolutely, and in a negative way. But, there is no rule of thumb as to how much for either. In all cases it is purely subjective.