VF-20 - $60.00 I say this because; the diagonal bands are definitely visible, all sticks in fasces seem defined and all letters/numbers are strong. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Thank you everyone. I bought the coin as a F-VF and paid $40 plus $5 shipping. The 26-S is usually found weakly struck no matter what condition. I didn't like that obvious nick on the obverse. I love the reverse design on the mercury dime and that's why I started collecting them years ago. This one was just a tad better than the best one I had in my collection. VF-30 to EF are quite pricey. There's a lot of people on eBay selling overgraded 26-S mercs, here's an example of a cleaned one, compare the reverse of this coin with mine, then compare the price! http://cgi.ebay.com/1926-S-Mercury-Dime-Key-Date-EF_W0QQitemZ360023737320QQihZ023QQcategoryZ41091QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I feel sorry for anyone that wins that auction. That coin is over graded and super cleaned. You got a pretty good deal on yours. Good looking out. Glad to see my grading abilities have improved
Thanks Coinmelt, I believe the I got an ok deal. The thing is I've had a very hard time finding a 26-S with VF details on the reverse. You can find a variable plethera of the 26-S in AG-VG. A nice F is a little harder. I'd like a true EF example but the price skyrockets at this grade. The top 2 pictures of the coin do not do it justice. They were taken with a Digital Blue microscope at 10X and I just can't seem to get the lighting right no matter what I do.
