Based off the 2X2 I would say that MS-61 is accurate. If you get it or if this is already yours, I would send it in to get it slabbed.
What is going on with the rim hit at 630 on the reverse hard to see from photo but in hand you should be able to get a good look.
Thanks to all who posted. SO much stuff that I missed... part of the problem of going to a coin show and being caught in the "heat of the moment"... Thanks for talking me down ;-)
It looks nice on first sight but there may be a reason why it’s still (or again?) in a 2x2. As @C-B-D said, the color seems to be off... keep on searching ;-)
It has Unc. details, but I don’t know if it is Mint State. It all depends upon the luster, which is not showing in this photo. It might just be the photo. I don’t see hairlines, do I don’t know that it’s been cleaned. As to the color, these copper-nickel cents can be anything from bright white to tan to golden. Black or green is bad because that is corrosion.
I wou.d venture to say that the dealer would of come way off the price on the 2x2 just to unload it! That coin has major issues....not just color, I strongly suspect it has been doctored or tooled. Hair line aren't the only clue to a coin that has been messed with....as to exactly how who knows.... but again I bet the owner would of cut that price enough to set a hook without scaring off the buyer. One needs to ask just 1 question.....why hasn't the dealer had it slabed? Why....?....because it won't pass by a TPG! So he is just waiting for someone who does know what they are doing and pawning it off on them.
Here are a couple of graded pieces you use to perhaps get a better idea. The first one (1857) is a PCGS MS-65 The second (1858) one is an NGC MS-64. Sorry, I have read the instructions, but I still don't understand how to put pictures in the body of the text. Do you need a serving site, like Photobucker? If so that is a non-starter for me. I have been there and want nothing more to do with Photobucket.
And none of those look anything like the op coin.....so yes a good visual of what is correct and what looks like hell.
You can't always judge coins by the pictures. Having worked with coin photography for over decade, you would be surprised how you can alter the look of a piece. I am not saying this coin is good. There is probably a reason why it's not certified. That always goes through my mind these days where I see something that is say, $500 or more. It's just that I don't know that we can see enough to condemn it. BTW PCGS sent the second one, the 1858, back to me in a body bag 20 years ago. NGC graded it. PCGS had not reason to do what they did, but that's the grading game. I've also had NGC refuse to grade a piece that PCGS graded. Go figure.