1883-O for grading

Hey there again. It seems it's always something with raw Morgans from eBay. I purchased the coin below advertised as VAM 36A. Coin arrived, and it's definitely not a 36A (thanks guys over at VAMWorld for confirming my suspicions). Seller has agreed to a full refund but I like the coin in hand and wanted to know your thoughts on grade/value. I paid $52 (seller claims to have paid $69). Seller does not want to issue a partial refund.

 

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Personally I would return it.

 

If that patch of hairlines in front of her eye are on the coin it probably won't grade unfortunately

 

MS63.

 

I think it would straight grade, and I think you paid a fair price for it. JMHO.

 

The fine lines are on the coin and only visible at a certain angle in direct sunlight. Strange they didn't show up on any other of the photos. The ones in the cardboard flip were taken later than the others.

 

I would return it. You can a graded MS-63 for what you paid. It's not worth the extra money to get it get it graded.

 

Definitely return it...

 

+1, I agree it is not worth the cost of coin, plus a grading fee.

 

It's not what was advertised and there are hairlines on the obverse - return it.

 

Yup. Return it. It won't grade with those hairlines anyway. SNAD

 

Thanks all! Your continued support is greatly appreciated by a newbie looking to learn.

 

I would return the coin, and quite honestly, you can probably find an actual graded 36A for less than you paid. It just takes time.

 

Not much time. 36a is extremely common. It's the 22a that's tough to locate

 

Long story short: Return that baby immediately!

Strike: 64+ (that is a decent strike. The common assumption is "O Mint strikes are bad"... but that really is more true for the late 80's, 90's and later. The early '80's aren't as bad).

Luster: 64 (luster appears full... with one exception described below)

Eye Appeal: 63 ( The coin has been dipped. The toning seen here is secondary after a dip. That isn't great. )

Contact marks: 63 (there are a *lot* of marks on this coin. The fine marks scattered across the fields kill the grade).

All of this would add up to a 63. It would be an okay coin, but....

The patch of hairlines in the obverse field, in front of Liberty's eye. This coin has been wiped/cleaned, and will *not* receive a problem free grade. The dip impairs the luster, and the polishing/hairlines impede it even more. The coin will receive the details grade: UNC Details, Cleaned. Return this one at your earliest convenience. It is a problem coin.

 

Also be aware that an EDS example without the bridge die crack above the mint mark will get you a very nice E clash. The later (mid) die sate with the crack will just be a center trumpet of the E and a LDS example can be a challenge to photograph (i.e. see) the letter E and eventually reverts back to VAM-36 LDS when the E disappears.

The die pit or gouge in the ear is easy to spot, reading the rest of the die markers is the art.

 

61, MS details

 

Return has been initiated.

 

Smart move. It really was not a particularly attractive coin.

 

The main point was finding a graded UNC 36a for less than $52.

The asking prices seem to have spiked since the last time I picked a bunch up.