1806 Draped Bust Half Grade Opinions - O-109A

If you read the ANA descriptions for VG8 and F12 this coin falls solidly between them, that = VG10. But if you make allowances for a weak strike in areas known for it the coin could possibly grade F15, but to go any higher would be a stretch.

I would also say the coin suffered an old, harsh cleaning.

 

There is one mistake that people often make when using grading standards, any grading standards. That mistake is that they form an assumption of the grade before they actually read the standards and do a comparison. Now you may or may not have made this mistake, that I don't know. But let me show you what I mean. It is somewhat involved to do so, but bear with me for the long post.

The ANA standards for VF20 say -

obverse - More than half of the details still show in the hair. Forehead and bust are worn but bold. Parts of the drapery are smooth. Every letter and star is plainly visible.

reverse - Head and breast are worn, but some feathers are visible. Some lines in shield are merged together. About 3/4 of details in wings are clear.

Now, if you look at the coin, at first glance one might say that this coin meets those standards. I say might because with the reverse standards it is hard to say that there are visible feathers on the head and breast or that 3/4 of the details show in the wings. But let's assume that you make an allowance for this because of weak strike. So OK, the coin might be VF20.

But here is where the mistake comes in. Before a coin can be said to meet a standard for a given grade, like VF20, the coin must also meet the standards for the lower grades. And if you read those grade descriptions for this coin you will see what I mean.

F12
obverse - Some details show in hair ends and curls, and at the left of the ear. Date, all letters and stars are weak. The eye and eyebrow are clear. Bust is worn with few drapery lines remaining.

reverse - Half the feathers are visible in the wings. Breast and head are smooth. Letters in legend are worn but clear. Clouds and top of shiled show considerable wear.

So now if you look at the coin it seems that this description almost perfectly matches what we see in the pics. But now let's look at the next lowest grade description as well.

VG8
obverse - Entire head is weak, and most hair details and drapery are worn smooth. Date and LIBERTY are weak but visible. Parts of the eye and eyebrow are visible. Stars are outlined, with some tips worn flat.

reverse - Eagle is boldly outlined with only a few details showing in wings. Clouds, head and top of shield are smooth. Some letters in legend are very weak; parts of the motto are missing.

So now let's examine the coin, in detail, with all 3 of these grade descriptions in mind, bearing mind that in order for the coin to meet the highest grade that it also has to meet and exceed the description of the lower grades.

Yes, the coin does seem to be better than VG8, some of the star tips are worn flat, the head is weak and most of the hair details are worn smooth; there are only a few details showing in the wings, the head is absolutely smooth and parts of the motto are definitely missing. But overall the coin is slightly better in appearance than the VG8 description.

And if you re-read the descrition for F12 now, yes it seems a perfect fit.

F12
obverse - Some details show in hair ends and curls, and at the left of the ear. Date, all letters and stars are weak. The eye and eyebrow are clear. Bust is worn with few drapery lines remaining.

reverse - Half the feathers are visible in the wings. Breast and head are smooth. Letters in legend are worn but clear. Clouds and top of shield show considerable wear.

Some details do show in hair ends and curls, but the area to the left of the ear is nearly smooth. The date and legends are worn but quite clear, the eye and eyebrow are clear and there are few drapery lines remaining. Yes, half the feathers are visible, the breast and head are definitly smooth, the legend is clear and clouds and shield show considerable wear.

However, then we have to consider the VG8 description again. In the motto, part of it is definitely missing, some of the star tips are worn flat and most of the hair details are gone. Given this, the coin cannot meet the F12 criteria - therfore, as I said earlier - VG10.

 

Can you please explain why you think that using whichever grading standard you are using.

 

Absolutely not annoyance, it was an honest and inncocent request for Bone to explain his reasons. I am perfectly willing, desirous even, of learning how and why others grade coins. But more than anything else, I want others to be able to learn and understand why people assign the grades that they do.

I am nearly always thought of as being a tough grader and often I am asked to explain the reasons for my opinions. I always try to do that when asked, with this thread being a good example. My purpose is never to argue or dispute someone else's opinion, but rather to understand their reasoning for it.

 

Fair enough.