New project started

I'm more of a blast white coin guy (obviously not cents or gold) but there's attractive toning and then there's ugly toning. An attractively toned coin can go for wild premiums. I'm not that guy who will pay for that, but if one lands in my lap, I'm not going to kick it out of bed.

 

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This one will be a challenge. Most coin shows won't have a single example.

On a side note, if I haven't said it before I've always liked your avatar nickel. Very cool looking.

 

I'm sorry, but that project sounds like one big headache to me. I usually chase after coins because of their historical significance. Grade is only part of the equation. I don't like really low grade stuff, and I tend to stay away from ultra high grades because of the added expense. Stars and pluses don't do much for me.

With all due respect, I don't care for the 1881-S dollar in MS-67+*. I don't see any aspect of that grade on that coin. It has too many marks on the cheek for the MS-67 grade in my opinion, which makes the + and * irrelevant. The 1881-S dollar is also very common in high grade. Many of them are P-L or close to it.

It’s a like the only coin I’ve ever owned with the gold CAC sticker. I bought it because it was a hard to find, historic coin, not because of the sticker. I viewed it as a mistake purchase soon after I bought it.

PCGS had graded it EF-40. CAC gave it a gold sticker, which it did not deserve. The coin was sharper than EF, but it had been brushed and there were hairlines. PCGS got it right; CAC got it wrong. I sold it to a dealer for a profit.

I’m sure he paid the money because of the fancy sticker which seems to send some collectors into irrational convulsions. Let’s say CAC puts a gold sticker on an MS-64 graded coin. That means they probably think that it’s an MS-65. I’ve seen collectors pay MS-66, or higher, money for the coin, because of the gold CAC sticker, when it clearly is not an MS-66. That is irrational.