2nd opinion on 1798 Dollar

BINGO!!! If this coin is raw, there's a reason and it ain't a good one. It's messed with or a struck counterfeit.

 

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It looks like a nice genuine coin, looks like an old cleaning and does have a fingerprint, does have a minor rim bruise but that shouldn't keep it from a straight grade. Does have some scratches. Does have some mottled toning or issue. Might have a type of lamination. Does have a die break. Further study in hand will indicate it has all the die characteristics of a genuine coin. I usually suggest coin collectors buy the books on die characteristics of every denomination they want to collect before buying the coin. And GRADING guide books. I have a lot of rare coins in my collection that are still raw. 64 years of collecting. TPG's are subjective, suggestive graders. I buy a coin based on eye appeal and not by what a TPG tells me based on their slab. I buy the coin and not the slab based on how it appeals to me. I find that you can be the best expert on earth and still make a mistake on authenticity. TPG's have as was mentioned in this thread. Yes, I have the 1896-o, 1900-o and 1902-o micro o's in my VAM collection. Oops TPG's. The coin is nice, the coin is genuine. But read the books before you buy any coins. Join a coin club or two. Ask Questions, go to coin shows and ask more questions. If you are going to buy an expensive raw coin at a coin show, ask the dealer how he knows the coin is real. If he pulls out a book on or starts explaining die characteristics to identify a genuine coin, I would have confidence in him. I have been asked many times if an 1894 Philly Morgan is genuine. Check your die characteristic book and check a protected area. Knowledgeable collectors on here know what I'm talking about. Don't be afraid to ask on Coin Talk. Many experts are on here to help a collector.

 

I don't think there was much question as to whether the coin is genuine, it's whether it has been fiddled with. And I don't think the images allow for an accurate assessment on that point. Die characteristics are helpful to an extent, but remember that counterfeits are most commonly made from transfer dies produced from genuine coins. So the key is making sure the obv/rev dies are paired correctly.
I hope the buyer of this coin was able to pick up a nice high AU coin that will straight grade. But I'm not holding my breath.